Google's Project Loon is taking off around the world—literally. Following a pilot in New Zealand and an expansion into Australia, the balloon-based Internet project is now heading to France.
The Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES), which controls France's space policy, has partnered with Google for further research.
"This project comes at just the right time as we seek ways to bring the Internet to underserved areas," CNES President Jean-Yves Le Gall said in a statement.
Google initially launched 30 high-flying balloons in New Zealand in June 2013, hoping to bring Web access to those corners of the globe—jungles, archipelagos, mountains—that are difficult to wire up due to location and cost.
The balloons connect with specialized antennas on the ground, which communicate with stations linked to a local Internet service provider. Google ultimately hopes to build a ring of balloons all around the Earth.
Since its inception, Project Loon has logged around 3 million kilometers (about 1.8 million miles) of flight, and the balloons now last 10 times longer than previous iterations, thanks to manufacturing refinements. Google's record, as of November, was 130 days in the air for a single balloon.
"Internet connectivity can improve lives, but more than 4 billion people still don't have access today," said Mike Cassidy, Google's vice president in charge of Project Loon. "No single solution can solve such a big, complex problem. That's why we're working with experts from all over the world, such as CNES, to invest in new technologies like Project Loon that can use the winds to provide Internet to rural and remote places."
According to the French organization, CNES will contribute to ongoing Project Loon flight analysis, and help with future iterations of the balloons. The partnership also means Google will assist CNES with Strateole-type long-duration balloon campaigns.
"It is a unique experience for CNES to work with a leading light of Silicon Valley like Google," Le Gall said. "Collaborations like this bring down barriers and spawn new cross-disciplinary projects. We are proud to be providing our expertise while benefiting in return from the assistance of such a great global company."