A Russian examine claims that flying a formation of cubesats to create adverts within the night time sky might be economically viable, with every solar sail-carrying satellite projecting a pixel of a message to cities beneath.
The examine, by a staff of researchers from Skolkovo Institute of Science and Know-how in Moscow and the Moscow Institute of Physics and Know-how, checked out using 344 square-foot (32 sq. meters) solar sails that might be connected to the cubesats and angled to mirror daylight, every forming a pixel within the sky. Such giant reflectors have by no means been deployed on cubesats earlier than, however the examine discovered the answer possible, concluding {that a} fleet of fifty such satellites could be best for such promoting campaigns. When passing overhead above a goal metropolis at altitudes of between 300 to 600 miles (500 to 1,000 kilometers), the formation would mild up, displaying vibrant messages to the residents beneath.
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An emailed press assertion accompanying the discharge states that the examine thought of components together with “satellite gas consumption, goal metropolis inhabitants, native promoting prices, and plenty of extra,” and arrives at a “tentative $65 million estimate for your entire mission value and exhibiting that such a mission might certainly be possible.”
The examine was greeted lower than enthusiastically outdoors of Russia, with space journalist Jeff Foust joking (opens in new tab)that such a challenge might take a look at latest progress on banning anti-satellite missile testing.
Efforts to ban testing of ASATs face their strongest problem but. pic.twitter.com/vM1pFVCqJuOctober 5, 2022
 Arstechnica described (opens in new tab) the notion as “a horrible concept for a wide range of causes, from the proliferation of space debris to considerations about satellite light pollution.”
It isn’t the primary time reflecting mild from orbit has been thought of. A Russian startup previously (opens in new tab)introduced plans for swarms of light-reflecting satellites for producing promoting income, whereas a plan from a gaggle in Chengdu, China, in 2018 revealed a scheme (opens in new tab) to place an “synthetic moon” within the sky to supply further lighting for town.
The authors of the brand new paper state that the formation would essentially function close to the terminator line which divides night time from day on Earth, that means they’d solely be seen during times near dawn or sundown.Â
One other matter fully, nonetheless, is that if anybody really needs to see advertising and marketing messages punctuate the night time sky.
The study was printed on-line within the journal Aerospace.
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