
Google to shut down Loon
Google announced Jan. 21 it is shutting down Loon, a venture to provide wireless connectivity by balloon that has been seen as both complementary to and competitive with satellite networks.

C-Band Alliance plan will spawn lawsuits, Google, Charter warn
Those future lawsuits would also hamstring the C-Band Alliance plan, they said, making it no faster at reallocating the spectrum for 5G networks than an auction.

Loon offers network controller for new constellations
MOUNTAIN VIEW, California — Loon, a subsidiary of Google’s parent company Alphabet, is promoting networking technology and user interfaces it developed to operate its high-altitude balloons for constellations of nongeostationary …

How about a U.S. Space Guard? • DoD steps up AI push amid Google firestorm • DARPA lays groundwork for military LEO constellation
President Trump has floated a Space Force as a separate and equal branch of the military like the the Air Force. Now comes another thought: A Space Guard fashioned after the U.S. Coast Guard.

Google using O3b satellites to connect Project Loon over Puerto Rico
Google’s experimental high-altitude balloon project is using connectivity from O3b satellites to provide emergency communications in hurricane-ravished Puerto Rico.

Apple hires two former Google executives involved with satellite projects
Some analysts speculate that Apple is pursuing a broadband satellite constellation by backing proposals made by Boeing.

Planet confirms Google stake as Terra Bella deal closes
As Planet announced it has completed its acquisition of rival satellite imaging company Terra Bella April 18, it confirmed that Google is now a shareholder in Planet as part of that deal.

Google Lunar X Prize competitor picks student experiment to fly to the Moon
Team Indus announced a student team from Naples won the the Lab2Moon competition.

Planet to acquire Terra Bella from Google
Commercial remote sensing company Planet announced Feb. 3 it was acquiring rival Terra Bella from Google for an undisclosed sum, bringing together what the companies believe are complementary capabilities to image the Earth from space.

Report: Google parent company looking to unload Terra Bella
Google acquired what was then known as Skybox Imaging in 2014 for an estimated $500 million but now appears interested in selling the company as it seeks to cut costs.

Google’s Skybox Imaging has new name, business model
A Google-owned satellite imaging company has a new name and business model. Skybox Imaging announced Tuesday it had changed its name to Terra Bella.

Chris Quilty Handicaps the Silicon Valley-fueled Space Race
Chris Quilty, who tracks satellite companies for investment banker Raymond James, speaks with SpaceNews Editor Warren Ferster about the recent flood of Silicon Valley investment in audacious commercial space projects.

Wall Street Grills Fleet Operators Over Mega-Constellation Threat
Wall Street analysts are peppering established satellite fleet operators with questions about how they plan to survive after the likes of Google, SpaceX, Facebook and OneWeb have launched hundreds or thousands of satellites, drones, balloons and other Internet-delivery platforms.

Google SpaceX Investment is $900 Million
Search engine giant Google Inc. said it invested $900 million in SpaceX “to support continued innovation in areas of space transport, reusability and satellite manufacturing.”

SpaceX-Google Matchup Sets Up Satellite Internet Scramble
SpaceX’s Jan. 20 confirmation that Google and mutual-fund giant Fidelity Investments had invested a combined $1 billion in SpaceX set the stage for what could be a multi-year competition for capital and engineering resources among consortia aiming to build satellite networks for global Internet connectivity.