One of Googleâs Project Loon balloons may have crashed in a Sri Lankan tea plantation during its maiden test flight. According to a report by AFP, villagers found the deflated balloon with all its equipment in the region of Gampola in the country. An officer said, âtea plantation workers found it crashed in the plantation. They picked up the pieces and brought it to the station.â However, Sri Lankaâs Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) said that the landings were controlled and scheduled. ICTA chief, Muhunthan Canagey said on Twitter, âgoogle loon ballon safely landed under standard operating procedures in #Ika as part of the test.âÂ
The balloon had entered Sri Lankan airspace on Monday after they were launched from South America. Earlier this month, the government of Sri Lanka had announced that it would take a 25% stake in the join venture with Google. The country would not be investing any capital in the project, but would take the stake in return for allocating the spectrum for the project.Â
https://twitter.com/mcanagey/status/700003436650037248
In light of Google CEO, Sundar Pichaiâs visit to India in December last year, the government gave an in principle nod to pilot Project Loon. IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said that a partnership between Google and BSNL for the proliferation of Project Loon to remote areas for places with low internet connectivity.Â