affixed to rotating gimbals on each balloon’s payload. That payload also holds the
networking hardware and the means by which the balloon can remain powered by
a combination of solar energy and batteries. The same software would manage the
whole process by predicting which balloons will handle which requests, how best
to send data across the physical network, and scheduling the communication path.
In addition to the connectivity challenges, the software designers had to cope
with other related problems, such as:
• Route scheduling and optimization in order to minimizes disruptions and
avoid signal degradation.
• Resolve intra-system and inter-system interference with precise channel
modeling and cloud-scale analysis of candidate links.
• Ensure the most effective resource management, channel allocation, and optimization across space, air, and ground nodes to meet defined network goals.
• Predict available links at scale to eliminate unnecessary links, generating
system-wide power and cost savings.
While Loon didn’t have Albert Einstein to figure out how to do all this, they did
happen to have the work of his professor, Hermann Minkowski. His work in the
combination of three-dimensional Euclidean space and time was so relevant that
they named their resulting software “Minkowski”.
After years of development the Loon Software-Defined Network (SDN) became
the world’s first autonomous, production platform to be designed specifically for
aerospace networks. In developing the software Loon discovered that the product
could be especially useful to satellite companies that are expanding networks into
low Earth orbit. Unlike geostationary satellites, those in lower orbits move across
the sky. A lower orbit provides faster connections but the motion of the satellites
introduces many of the same issues as Loon’s software was designed to deal with
using a network of stratospheric balloons.
Loon is continuing to evolve its technology to better deliver internet to areas
that are currently underserved, or indeed unserved by terrestrial networks.
Here are some informative videos about Loon:
For a 50 sec video on Loon breaking the world record, go to:
https://youtu.be/e_QI5llQrF0
Introducing Loon. For a 2:13 video go to:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m96tYpEk1Ao
Project Loon - Michael Cassidy, Project Manager, for a 23:35 video, go to:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xw9Fron- hDE
Inside Google’s wildly ambitious internet balloon project (Loon 2015) 7:55
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFGW2sZsUiQ
Loon: Launching At Scale a 2:55 minute video, go to:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwkmOE8dkvw
88 Commercial Corporations and Applications
networking hardware and the means by which the balloon can remain powered by
a combination of solar energy and batteries. The same software would manage the
whole process by predicting which balloons will handle which requests, how best
to send data across the physical network, and scheduling the communication path.
In addition to the connectivity challenges, the software designers had to cope
with other related problems, such as:
• Route scheduling and optimization in order to minimizes disruptions and
avoid signal degradation.
• Resolve intra-system and inter-system interference with precise channel
modeling and cloud-scale analysis of candidate links.
• Ensure the most effective resource management, channel allocation, and optimization across space, air, and ground nodes to meet defined network goals.
• Predict available links at scale to eliminate unnecessary links, generating
system-wide power and cost savings.
While Loon didn’t have Albert Einstein to figure out how to do all this, they did
happen to have the work of his professor, Hermann Minkowski. His work in the
combination of three-dimensional Euclidean space and time was so relevant that
they named their resulting software “Minkowski”.
After years of development the Loon Software-Defined Network (SDN) became
the world’s first autonomous, production platform to be designed specifically for
aerospace networks. In developing the software Loon discovered that the product
could be especially useful to satellite companies that are expanding networks into
low Earth orbit. Unlike geostationary satellites, those in lower orbits move across
the sky. A lower orbit provides faster connections but the motion of the satellites
introduces many of the same issues as Loon’s software was designed to deal with
using a network of stratospheric balloons.
Loon is continuing to evolve its technology to better deliver internet to areas
that are currently underserved, or indeed unserved by terrestrial networks.
Here are some informative videos about Loon:
For a 50 sec video on Loon breaking the world record, go to:
https://youtu.be/e_QI5llQrF0
Introducing Loon. For a 2:13 video go to:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m96tYpEk1Ao
Project Loon - Michael Cassidy, Project Manager, for a 23:35 video, go to:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xw9Fron- hDE
Inside Google’s wildly ambitious internet balloon project (Loon 2015) 7:55
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFGW2sZsUiQ
Loon: Launching At Scale a 2:55 minute video, go to:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwkmOE8dkvw
88 Commercial Corporations and Applications