A giant balloon that crash-landed in a southeast Missouri field has been traced back to Google.
Specifically, a project called Google Loon, which aims to bring internet access to rural areas.
The balloon, which had been hovering at 70,000 feet lost its signal Thursday afternoon before ending up in the field, near Bragg City.
A program director for Google told a local sheriff’s deputy that the company started the Loon project in New Zealand two years ago, to try to fill gaps in internet coverage.
The balloons are equipped with radio bands that the company says are able to deliver speeds comparable to 3G networks.
The balloon that landed in the field had been in the air for 14 months, which may have played a role in its crash.
Google says the balloons tend to develop steering issues after being in the air for so long, and those issues prompt programmers to send a code telling the balloons to descend and deploy a parachute.
