A Russian company has deployed what it calls the "first space media satellite" into orbit as part of a plot to sell the night sky as advertising space.
Avant Space, based in Moscow, plans to utilize satellites equipped with lasers to display ads observable from Earth, despite concerns that these spacecraft may present a "significant danger."
Even though the newly launched satellite is merely a test model, the company intends to deploy a constellation of such compact satellites designed to display logos and QR codes throughout the nighttime sky.
The innovation, patented by Avant Space in 2020, involves projecting laser light advertisements observable to those observing the stars.
The firm intends to provide clients with restricted management capabilities for their satellites through an application.
A promo video features ads from top companies such as Apple, Google, and Rolls-Royce showcased over landscapes including London cityscapes and race circuits.
Avant mentioned that the advertisements in space would be activated solely during twilight hours—both at dawn and dusk—above large urban centers. This approach aims to reduce disruption for distant observatories and their celestial observations.
The aim is to demonstrate that outer space isn’t solely for researchers or the military—it’s also about entertainment, which people enjoy,” stated Vlad Sitnikov from StartRocket, a Russian company collaborating with Avant Space.
He stated, "In places where human presence exists, so do advertisements—we aim to lead the way."
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The company sees the night sky as the world's biggest potential advertising space.
But the American Astronomical Society has previously voiced opposition to Avant Space's plans, stating they present an "unknown, but potentially serious, threat to the pursuit of astronomical discovery".
Astronomers fear that as space becomes increasingly commercialised, more companies will follow Avant Space and StarRocket's lead.
The company argues its approach would avoid light pollution concerns, as cities already miss out on the darkest skies.
However, in the US, officials prohibited advertising in space as early as 2000.
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However, this federal ban only applies to launches from US soil - not from other countries.
Moreover, present regulations fail to stop celestial advertisements from floating over nations that have prohibited such displays.
This loophole might enable businesses based in countries lacking these prohibitions to create space-based advertising systems.
Additionally, there are worries that an extra group of satellites could make it more difficult to regulate movement within low-Earth orbit.
These satellites will add to the roughly 39,000 fragments of space junk already orbiting our planet, which include remnants from spent rockets and defunct satellites forming a debris field.