A Russian startup is working to take advertisements to space with their orbital display. Some say space ads are inevitable, but others are not on board with the idea.

'New Media'

Say hello to new media! Russian startup StartRocket is planning to take advertising to space. According to the budding company, it is creating a media that can reach the entire planet as its audience, and it is doing so by practically creating billboards in space.

This can be done by making an array of tiny satellites, each with a 30-foot reflective sail, orbit the planet at 400 to 500 km altitude. When the light of the sun hits the reflective sails, people on Earth can see the logo plastered bright in the sky. Although the ads will only be visible at night, it can be seen from practically any part of the planet.

The company already has prototypes, and should the schedule be followed to the T, the test launch could be done by January 2021.

According to the company, the orbital display isn’t just for advertisements but could also be used to display messages for entertainment during global events, to bring necessary information to the public, and to display urgent information in emergency situations, especially when phones do not work or there is zero visibility.

More Space Junk

Although there are those who say that such a project is inevitable, not everybody is on board with the idea. In fact, some question the need for the orbital display even on the startup’s very Facebook page. Furthermore, some experts are concerned that it will end up being yet another space junk that may increase the opportunities for collisions.

Today, the U.S. Department of Defense is already tracking about 500,000 pieces of space junk orbiting around the Earth, from astronaut gloves to satellite and rocket parts.

Milky Way — The Spaceboard at work from Vlad Sitnikov on Vimeo.