Loon
The business, the turning points, and the decisions behind them.
01 / WHAT IT BUILT
What the company did
Loon used stratospheric balloons as a network to provide internet connectivity to underserved regions and disaster areas.
02 / Loon FAILURE REASONS
Failure reasons
Alphabet said that despite technical progress, the route to commercial viability took longer and carried greater risks than it expected. It therefore ended the balloon-based business rather than continue the long path to a viable service.
03 / EVENT HISTORY
Events in the structured record
- Became a separate Alphabet business
The project graduated into a separate business within Alphabet.
- Commercial service launched in Kenya
Loon and its partners began a balloon-based internet service in Kenya.
- Business wound down
The January announcement said the route to commercial viability was longer and riskier than expected; the project ended that year.
04 / CONTEMPORARY REBUILD ASSESSMENT
Difficulty of rebuilding this project today
Material for this section is being gathered and checked. It will appear here once ready.
Overall assessment: Not completed
05 / CAUSAL CHAIN
How the factors connect
- 01
Balloon network achieved technical demonstrations
- 02
Commercial service launched
- 03
Parent judged commercial viability too distant and risky
- 04
Balloon-network business ended