What are the mysterious balloons flying over Argentinean airspace

These days, it was possible to identify the presence of balloon project Loon, owned by Alphabet, the parent company of Google. This initiative was launched in 2013 and seeks to use the Internet in remote or remote areas and to improve the existing connection for different reasons.

"By means of a network of balloons traveling at the edge of space, Loon is working with mobile network operators to extend coverage in marginalized or under-served communities, supplement existing networks and provide immediate coverage after natural disasters. To date, balloons have traveled more than 30 million kilometers worldwide ", is detailed on the official website.

Infobae He could see, by visiting the Flight Radar page, that there were pictures of balloons identified by the name of Loon. Flight Radar is a page that allows you to track the position of a plane in real time. It's a vast network of ADS-B systems, which displays on a digital map the information it receives from over 20,000 receivers. By entering the site, you can view, live, how the plane moves.

This is possible because ADS-B incorporates cooperative surveillance technology by which an aircraft determines its position via satellite navigation and transmits it continuously. This information is received by ground stations for air traffic control and by other aircraft. All this data is displayed on the map and can be viewed from the browser or applications.

So that was it Infobae, noting the presence of balloons identified as Loon, contacted this entity for consultation on this matter, and a spokesperson explained the following in a statement:

"We can confirm that Loon balloons were active in Argentine airspace earlier this week. Our balloons operate 20 kilometers above the Earth, well above commercial air traffic or wildlife. Loon has been conducting tests in the area for years and, as part of these tests, the balloons are crossing many countries of South America, including Argentina.

In addition, they recalled that Loon maintained continuous telemetry and control links 24 hours a day, every day of the week, with each balloon. In turn, they constantly monitor the position using GPS. "The descents are coordinated with the local air traffic control to safely land the balloon"they added.

Loon flew test flights to Latin America a few years ago and several balloons have already landed in the area. In fact, in 2017, he offered an emergency service after the natural disasters that hit Peru and Puerto Rico.

"These balloons have connected more than 300,000 people to basic mobile Internet services," said the spokesman.

There are two main radio transceivers in each globe: a broadband LTE base station (or "eNodeB"), which directly transmits Internet connectivity to a user's LTE-enabled phone, and a high-speed directional link used for the connection between the bubbles and the user. Internet infrastructure in the ground.

The balloons, which are polyethylene and can stay longer than 100 days in the stratophile, offer a speed similar to that provided by 4G and each covers a radius of about 80 kilometers and can provide connectivity for up to 100 people.

The data transmitted via the balloon network are encrypted. "We integrate with the core networks of our mobile network operator partner so that the transmitted data has the same levels of encryption and authentication as these networks," is detailed on the company's website.

The equipment found in the balloons is powered by solar panels during the day and by a rechargeable battery during the night.

And to know if these balloons require special authorization, the page mentions the following:

"Loon meets or exceeds the international standards for unmanned balloons issued by the United Nations Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), which are the basis of regulations in many countries around the world. Although specific regulations differ from country to country, we comply with all applicable local and international laws, as required in the places where we operate. "