Google X Loon-Wing
Damien Maloney01Each Loon balloon can provide coverage over nearly 2,000 square miles, using an assortment of solar panels, antennas, and varied electronics.
Damien Maloney02In Loon's early days, the launch process resembled a gang of kids trying to get a kite off the ground. Now, it's a sophisticated, smooth operation.
Damien Maloney03Loon is testing in Winnemucca because the skies are mostly empty and there’s an airport for when the higher-ups want to come in by private plane straight from Palo Alto, just a short flight away.
Damien Maloney04After climbing up 55 feet, helium enters the balloon through a narrow copper pipe, which is then permanently sealed.
Damien Maloney05The payload comes with a parachute to soften the blow to the electronics when the balloon eventually returns to Earth.
Damien Maloney06Loon's launch setup, aka Big Bird, is designed to protect the balloons from the wind as they slowly inflate.
Damien Maloney07When it's time to take off, the various arms of the crane complex push the balloon up and out.
Damien Maloney08Once the balloon's ready to go, Big Bird rotates so the one side without a wall faces downwind.
Damien Maloney09The most remarkable bit of this launch is that it's about as routine as watching a plane take off.
Damien Maloney10As it takes on the weight of its payload, the balloon freezes for just a moment. Then it’s up and away with the wind.
Damien Maloney11Operations lead Nick Kohli has been with Loon since 2012, when his job was to run around the world finding and collecting downed balloons from the Mojave Desert, rural Brazil, the coast of New Zealand. A licensed pilot and search and rescue veteran, Kohli's one of many new kinds of people X needs to fulfill its mission.
Damien Maloney12Climbing 1,000 feet a minute, the balloon will spend a night in the area before moving on toward Denver, then Nebraska.
