As published by the medium Bloomberg, Alphabet has sold the satellite division Earth Beautiful, which means giving up a "lucrative live imaging business."
This division was acquired in 2014 and renamed last year, however, Google's parent company would have decided to get rid of it. Originally, the project was intended to provide up-to-date images on natural disasterss, and later evolved down the line of providing Internet connectivity.
The Alphabet company continues to cut back or eliminate those of its projects that are financially more costly to it. Skybox Imaging was acquired three years ago for a total of $ 500 million and began operating under the much broader Google Maps division.
His main focus involved the use of mini satellites They would take multiple images of a particular area and then stitch them together to create a higher resolution image. According to Google, these updated satellite images would prove especially useful during natural disasters and for monitoring climate change.
But they also had other more commercial uses, such as tracking cargo in ports or cars in parking lots. At the time of the acquisition, Google wanted the satellites to also be used to provide Internet access in various parts of the world.
The sale now announced by Bloomberg represents the evidence that Alphabet is reducing its internet connectivity ambitions, after the Baron of Fiber in the United States last October. However, the company still has the loon project to provide the Internet through balloons, and the SkyBender project which provides 5G connectivity via solar powered drones.
According to Bloomberg, Planet, a satellite imaging startup, could have acquired Terra Bella, keeping some employees while others are being reassigned at Google.