AALTO seeks to democratize high-speed internet access through solar-powered drones

Google’s Dream of “Sky‑High” Internet Finally Upside‑Down

At the start of 2021, the tech giant Alphabet pulled the plug on Loon. The story isn’t a surprise once you’ve followed the saga of Google X over the years—a bold moonshot that bounced around for almost a decade but never quite reached its glory.

Why the Project Fizzled Out

In the company’s own words, “Despite Loon’s extraordinary technical progress, the path to commercial viability proved much longer and riskier than hoped, so in 2021 Loon’s journey came to an end.”. In short, the price of deploying a fleet of weather balloons was a lot higher than the marketing team had promised.

What Went “Up” During Loon’s Life

• The idea was simple: launch weather balloons filled with high‑speed internet into the sky to reach places that lacked connectivity—think brutal Sub‑Saharan Africa or disaster zones.
• It hit a sweet spot during Hurricane Maria in 2017 when Puerto Rico’s grid collapsed. Stratospheric balloons zipped in, delivering web access faster than any cable repair crew.
• “They got people signing up for the service very quickly,” Sam Halawi, AALTO’s CEO, claimed. The service had the wow factor and a user‑friendly Dazzle.

The Engineering Challenge

Loon’s balloons were, well, mighty floating winds. They drifted, twisted, and never stayed put. To cover an area, the company had to deploy eight times the number of balloons that would be needed with a fixed‑wing system.

AALTO – The New Game Changer

Enter AALTO, a sibling-project moved from balloon to blue‑sky drones under the umbrella of Airbus. It builds on Loon’s tech foundation but gives it a more predictable, disciplined character.

What These Drones Do

• They fly on a circular runway, blazing a wide spiral up into the stratosphere (over 60,000 feet).
• At that height, commercial airliners and pesky weather systems are no longer a concern. Plus, the legal sky‑islands are far less regulated than the low‑level airspace.
• They’re solar‑powered, so the moment they hit that alt‑level they can keep humming all day’s.

Where the Tech Came From

Airbus bought the fixed‑wing concepts from the UK Ministry of Defence and its spin‑off QinetiQ back in 2013. Meanwhile, the AALTO team capitalized on the camaraderie between unmanned flyer and Loon’s experience. The result? A dependable, cost‑effective, and brighter-than-solar way to bring internet to remote corners.

In Short

Google’s balloon‑borne internet dream fizzled but set the groundwork for a more advanced sky‑relay system. While Loon float‑on, AALTO’s drones rise, capturing both the sun and the imagination of a connected world hungry for coverage.

Tech and VC heavyweights join the Disrupt 2025 agenda

Netflix, ElevenLabs, Wayve, Sequoia Capital, Elad Gil — just a few of the heavy hitters joining the Disrupt 2025 agenda. They’re here to deliver the insights that fuel startup growth and sharpen your edge. Don’t miss the 20th anniversary of TechCrunch Disrupt, and a chance to learn from the top voices in tech — grab your ticket now and save up to $600+ before prices rise.

Tech and VC heavyweights join the Disrupt 2025 agenda

Netflix, ElevenLabs, Wayve, Sequoia Capital — just a few of the heavy hitters joining the Disrupt 2025 agenda. They’re here to deliver the insights that fuel startup growth and sharpen your edge. Don’t miss the 20th anniversary of TechCrunch Disrupt, and a chance to learn from the top voices in tech — grab your ticket now and save up to $675 before prices rise.

AALTO’s Drone‑Powered Cell Towers Go Big In San Francisco

Imagine a single drone that can blanket the ground beneath it with the coverage of an entire 250‑tower network. According to AALTO’s numbers, that’s a staggering 7,500 square kilometres</b—roughly the size of a small country—covered from the sky.