Track Google’s Project Loon Internet balloons in real time as they travel the world

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Owen Williams

Former TNW employee

Owen was a reporter for TNW based in Amsterdam, now a full-time freelance writer and consultant helping technology companies make their word (show all) Owen was a reporter for TNW based in Amsterdam, now a full-time freelance writer and consultant helping technology companies make their words friendlier. In his spare time he codes, writes newsletters and cycles around the city.

Google’s Project Loon was unveiled in 2013 as an ambitious project to bring internet to some of the most remote parts of the world where it’s hard to get Internet access. The project’s still in full swing and you’re now able to track the balloons in real time as they travel the world.

The helium balloons can now be tracked in real time using Flightradar24’s service, which shows a group of them being launched near Timaru, New Zealand and drifting out to sea at around 162 feet off the surface. The balloons are moving quite quickly at a rate of around 41 kilometers an hour at time of writing.

Google’s page for Project Loon shows that the balloons should keep drifting east towards South America as part of a plan to establish internet connectivity along the 40th Southern Parallel.

A previous balloon that was part of the project managed to travel past South America in just 12 days, so it’ll be interesting to track this new set of balloons in real time as they complete their journey across the Pacific Ocean.

The balloons are made to last over 100 days, so it looks like the travels of this group has only just begun.

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