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Q35 (IAS/2016) Science & Technology › ICT, AI, Cybersecurity & Emerging Tech › Wireless communication technologies Official Key

'Project Loon', sometimes seen in the news, is related to

Result
Your answer: —  ·  Correct: B
Explanation

Project Loon, officially announced in June 2013, aims to provide internet to remote areas using stratospheric balloons at an altitude of 20km.[1] This project forms a wireless communication network in the stratosphere by launching high-altitude balloons equipped with communication equipment.[2] The project represents Google's innovative approach to extend internet connectivity to underserved and remote regions where traditional ground-based infrastructure is impractical or too expensive to deploy.

The other options can be eliminated as they do not relate to Project Loon's core functionality. The project is not concerned with waste management (Option A), solar power production (Option C), or water conservation (Option D). Instead, it specifically focuses on creating a network of high-altitude balloons that act as floating cell towers to beam internet signals to ground stations and users below, making it clearly a wireless communication technology initiative.

Sources
  1. [1] https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/platform-altitude
  2. [2] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0030402623001171
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PROVENANCE & STUDY PATTERN
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Don’t just practise – reverse-engineer the question. This panel shows where this PYQ came from (books / web), how the examiner broke it into hidden statements, and which nearby micro-concepts you were supposed to learn from it. Treat it like an autopsy of the question: what might have triggered it, which exact lines in the book matter, and what linked ideas you should carry forward to future questions.
Q. 'Project Loon', sometimes seen in the news, is related to [A] waste management technology [B] wireless communication technology [C] so…
At a glance
Origin: Mostly Current Affairs Fairness: Low / Borderline fairness Books / CA: 0/10 · 10/10

This is a classic 'Term in News' question from the Science & Tech section. It rewards general awareness of major global tech initiatives (Google, Facebook, SpaceX) rather than deep technical knowledge. If you skipped the S&T page of the newspaper, you lost easy marks.

How this question is built

This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.

Statement 1
What technology area is the project "Project Loon" associated with?
Origin: Web / Current Affairs Fairness: CA heavy Web-answerable

Web source
Presence: 5/5
"Project loon Officially announced in June 2013, Project Loon aims to provide internet to remote areas using stratospheric balloons at an altitude of 20km."
Why this source?
  • Explicitly states Project Loon's aim to provide internet to remote areas using stratospheric balloons.
  • Mentions targeting LTE coverage expansion, tying the project to wireless/internet communications technology.
Web source
Presence: 5/5
"Google believes it is on course to have enough internet-beaming balloons in the stratosphere to form a ring over part of the world next year."
Why this source?
  • Describes Project Loon as 'internet balloons' and 'internet-beaming balloons', directly linking it to internet delivery.
  • Refers to balloons in the stratosphere providing a continuous data service to people below, i.e., network/internet service.
Web source
Presence: 5/5
"This project forms a wireless communication network in the stratosphere by launching high-altitude balloons equipped with communication equipment."
Why this source?
  • States the project forms a wireless communication network in the stratosphere using high-altitude balloons.
  • Specifically says the project provides wireless network services for people in remote areas, confirming communications focus.

Indian Economy, Nitin Singhania .(ed 2nd 2021-22) > Chapter 15: Infrastructure > National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN) > p. 463
Strength: 5/5
“• The project envisages an optimal mix of optical fibre, radio and satellite media. ۰• The aim is to establish a highly scalable network infrastructure accessible on non-discriminatory basis, affordable broadband connectivity of 2 Mbps to 20 Mbps for all households. Till August 2019, 1.25 lakh GPs were already connected with high-speed broadband connectivity under BharatNet.”
Why relevant

Describes a national broadband project that envisages an optimal mix of optical fibre, radio and satellite media for providing broadband connectivity.

How to extend

A student can extend this by noting that alternative airborne or stratospheric platforms (e.g., balloon-based radio relays) would fit into the 'radio/satellite media' category for delivering broadband.

Indian Economy, Nitin Singhania .(ed 2nd 2021-22) > Chapter 20: Investment Models > Swiss Challenge Method > p. 591
Strength: 4/5
“The Swiss challenge method is a process of awarding project contracts to private players. Any person with credentials can submit a development proposal to the government and the best proposal is accepted by an expert committee. This method is used in India by different states including Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, etc. for IT, ports, power, health, roads and housing projects. This method can be applied to projects that are covered under PPP model and can also be used to supplement the PPP framework. It cuts the red tape and curtails timelines for the project. The private players bring innovation, technology and uniqueness to the project”
Why relevant

Explains that the Swiss challenge and PPP methods are used for IT projects and that private players bring innovation and technology to such connectivity projects.

How to extend

A student could infer that novel connectivity solutions (like experimental airborne internet platforms) are the type of 'innovation/technology' private players propose for IT/broadband projects.

Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 17: Climate Change > Government Measures > p. 258
Strength: 3/5
“r Project Surya has been launched to reduce black carbon in atmosphere by introducing efficient stove technologies, solar cookers, solar iamps and biogas plants.”
Why relevant

Gives an example of a government 'Project' (Project Surya) that uses atmospheric/energy technologies (efficient stoves, solar cookers) to address environmental goals.

How to extend

A student might generalize that named 'Projects' can denote technology deployments targeting atmospheric or environmental domains, suggesting Project Loon could be an atmospheric/communications technology.

Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 23: India and Climate Change > Project Components > p. 316
Strength: 3/5
“• The project is comprised of four components. • Strategic research on adaptation and mitigation • e) Technology demonstration on farmers, fields to cope with current climate variability • 3) Sponsored and competitive research grants to fill critical research gaps • 4) Capacity building of different stake holders”
Why relevant

Lists 'Technology demonstration' as a component of projects aimed at coping with variability, showing that projects often test or demonstrate technology solutions in the field.

How to extend

A student could treat Project Loon as likely being a technology demonstration project—thus plausibly an experimental communications technology demonstration.

Pattern takeaway: UPSC loves 'Quirky Project Names' in S&T. If a technology project has a name that sounds like a government scheme or a mythological reference but is actually a private tech initiative, it is prime material for a 'What is X?' question.
How you should have studied
  1. [THE VERDICT]: Sitter. This was widely covered in 2015-16 as Google's 'balloon internet' project. Pure Current Affairs.
  2. [THE CONCEPTUAL TRIGGER]: ICT & Connectivity > Alternative delivery platforms (Non-terrestrial networks).
  3. [THE HORIZONTAL EXPANSION]: Connect this to modern equivalents: Starlink (LEO Satellites), Project Kuiper (Amazon), OneWeb (Bharti), Project Taara (Free Space Optical Communication), and Facebook's Aquila (Solar drones, now defunct).
  4. [THE STRATEGIC METACOGNITION]: When Big Tech (Google, Meta, SpaceX) launches a project with a catchy name ('Loon', 'Libra', 'Artemis'), it becomes a high-probability keyword. Don't just memorize the name; understand the *medium* (Balloon vs Satellite vs Drone) and the *goal* (Internet vs Crypto vs Space).
Concept hooks from this question
📌 Adjacent topic to master
S1
👉 Broadband media types: optical fibre, radio, satellite
💡 The insight

Reference [5] explicitly lists optical fibre, radio and satellite as the media mix for a national broadband project — the same classification that frames alternative connectivity solutions like balloon- or satellite-based internet.

High-yield for infrastructure and GS papers: understanding the different media for providing broadband (fibre vs radio vs satellite/alternative airborne systems) helps answer questions on Digital India, rural connectivity and technology choices. It links to telecom policy, BharatNet implementation and cost/coverage trade-offs; prepare by comparing technology characteristics, use-cases and rollout challenges.

📚 Reading List :
  • Indian Economy, Nitin Singhania .(ed 2nd 2021-22) > Chapter 15: Infrastructure > National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN) > p. 463
🔗 Anchor: "What technology area is the project "Project Loon" associated with?"
📌 Adjacent topic to master
S1
👉 Procurement & delivery models for technology projects (Swiss challenge, PPP)
💡 The insight

Reference [9] shows Swiss challenge and PPP methods are used to award contracts for IT and other technology projects, which is relevant to how large connectivity projects are implemented.

Important for governance/economics: UPSC often asks about public procurement, PPP models and private partnership in infrastructure delivery. Knowing these frameworks helps analyze how tech projects (including connectivity initiatives) are funded and executed. Study by reviewing model characteristics, advantages/risks and state examples.

📚 Reading List :
  • Indian Economy, Nitin Singhania .(ed 2nd 2021-22) > Chapter 20: Investment Models > Swiss Challenge Method > p. 591
🔗 Anchor: "What technology area is the project "Project Loon" associated with?"
📌 Adjacent topic to master
S1
👉 Technology demonstration & field-level adaptation projects
💡 The insight

Reference [1] describes technology demonstration for adaptation/mitigation at farmer/field level — illustrating the use of pilot demos to validate and scale technology interventions.

Useful for environment and policy questions: understanding demonstration projects helps analyse scalability, stakeholder capacity-building and implementation bottlenecks for tech interventions. It connects to climate adaptation, rural technology diffusion and project design; prepare by studying case studies and implementation mechanics.

📚 Reading List :
  • Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 23: India and Climate Change > Project Components > p. 316
🔗 Anchor: "What technology area is the project "Project Loon" associated with?"
🌑 The Hidden Trap

Project Taara. Since Loon (RF based) is now defunct, the technology has evolved into Project Taara, which uses Free Space Optical Communication (FSOC)—essentially 'fibre optics without the cable' using light beams in the air. Expect a question on FSOC or Li-Fi.

⚡ Elimination Cheat Code

Etymology Hack: 'Loon' is short for 'Balloon'. Balloons float high in the sky. Look at the options: Waste (Ground), Water (Ground), Solar (Energy generation, usually ground/roof). Wireless Communication is the only option that drastically improves with *altitude* (Line of Sight coverage). Therefore, [B] is the most logical fit for a balloon-based project.

🔗 Mains Connection

Link to GS3 Internal Security & Disaster Management. Technologies like Loon or Starlink are critical for 'Shadow Areas' (LWE regions) where building towers is dangerous, and for restoring comms immediately after cyclones/earthquakes when terrestrial infra is down.

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