[NewsPoster]

A trial Google "Project Loon" Internet access balloon crashed off the coast of New Zealand yesterday. Locals, fearing a plane crash, called the country's emergency services who then vectored a helicopter to the site. The crashed test platform was discovered floating in the ocean. The crash echoes one in Washington state earlier this month, that knocked out power to some residents of Yakima.

Project Loon is a research and development project being developed by Google. High-altitude balloons are placed in the stratosphere at an altitude of about 20 miles to create an aerial wireless network with up to 3G speeds. The system aims to bring Internet access to remote and rural areas poorly served by existing methods, and to improve communication during natural disasters.

Users of the service connect to the balloon network using a special Internet antenna. The signal travels through the balloon network from balloon to balloon, then to a ground-based station connected to an Internet service provider, then onto the global Internet.

Google confirmed the crash, which was not unexpected. The search engine giant said in a statement that "since launching Project Loon in New Zealand last year, we've continued to do research flights to improve the technology." Google claims to fully cooperate with local law enforcement, and has personnel dedicated to the task of recovering downed equipment.

[Inkling]

Does Google really call this Project Loon? How revealing. The idea of offering Internet access to the world with drifting balloons is certainly looney.

[DiabloConQueso]

"The system aims to bring Internet access to remote and rural areas poorly served by existing methods, and to improve communication during natural disasters."

Offering Internet access to the world? Where did you read that?

[Mike Wuerthele]

Originally Posted by DiabloConQueso 

"The system aims to bring Internet access to remote and rural areas poorly served by existing methods, and to improve communication during natural disasters."

Offering Internet access to the world? Where did you read that?

Google's project manager has said as much in several interviews.

[FastiBook]

Clearly these would work well to get satellite connections changed to local WIMAX for people to use in homes.

[pottymouth]

Why don't the residents of these "remote and rural areas" just use Starbucks wifi like everybody else. Sheesh.