In 2019, they revealed an ambitious plan to launch orbital billboards that would be visible from the Earth’s night sky.
Start Rocket plans to use CubeSats, tiny satellites that can be arranged in a formation, to reflect sunlight and create bright pixel-like ads in the night sky.
The ads would be visible for 6 minutes at a time, reaching millions of people in different parts of the world.
Start Rocket believed that brands, governments, and event organizers could use their orbital billboards for corporate advertisements, emergency broadcasts, and political messages.
Reactions
Immediately after the project was announced, it faced a huge backlash, with critics pointing out several issues, including:
- Light pollution – Astronomers feared it could interfere with space observation. Dr. John Barentine, an astronomer and former director at the International Dark-Sky Association, warned, “Artificial satellites already contribute to skyglow, making it harder for scientists to study distant stars and galaxies. A project like this would only make things worse.”
- Environmental concerns – More satellites contribute to space junk and could collide with other objects in space. Dr. Hugh Lewis, a space debris expert at the University of Southampton, stated, “Every new satellite adds to the growing issue of space debris, increasing the risk of collisions that could create more hazardous fragments in orbit.”
- Visual pollution – Many people opposed the idea of turning the night sky into ad space, arguing that the sky should be free from commercialization.
Despite the backlash, Start Rocket insisted that orbital billboards were the future of advertising. However, as of today, the project has yet to materialize, leaving many to wonder whether the idea was ever truly feasible.
