Google to launch 180 satellites for Internet access

Google is planning to spend more than $1 billion on satellites that will offer internet access worldwide from space, the U.S. daily newspaper Wall Street Journal writes.

The publication's sources say that Google will begin with 180 small satellites that will orbit the Earth at a lower altitude than most other craft, before possibly expanding the fleet in the future. The costs for the venture were initially estimated at $1 billion, but the final costs could grow to as much as $3 billion.

According to the U.S. daily, Google has been hiring new staff from satellite companies in an effort to get its space internet scheme off the ground.