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Space advertising is the practice of advertising in space. This has usually been done with product placements during crewed space missions.
Two categories are used to describe space advertising: obtrusive and non-obtrusive.
After the Space Race and the dissolution of the Soviet Union, [3] space-based advertising has been put forth as a non-militarized use for space. Since then, several attempts at space advertising have occurred, such as Elon Musk’s SpaceX launch of a Tesla car into orbit. [4] [5]
One major advantage that space advertising has over other Earth-bound methods is the scale of its reach. Millions of people across multiple countries can be exposed to an advertisement orbiting Earth. As a result, space advertising offers valuable advertising capabilities. However, relatively high start-up costs have prevented this from becoming a common mode of advertisement. [6] [7]
The high cost of orbital spaceflight (millions of USD per launch) has discouraged attempts in the past. [8] Public space exploration authorities have also been reluctant to cater to advertisers. For example, NASA's restrictive policy on its employees' endorsing of products required astronauts to refer to M&M's as "candy-coated chocolates". [9] [10]
Due to the high cost of orbital launches, as well as associated maintenance costs, there have not been many successful advertising projects. For context, SpaceX's base fares for sending objects into space are highly costly. [11] [12]
Some successful attempts include:
Although the number of attempts at space advertising is small, there have been several failed attempts to send advertising into space by companies and organizations around the world.
Some failed attempts include:
Different countries have varying advertising regulation levels. As advertisements that orbit the Earth, effectively operating across country borders, obtrusive space advertisements must necessarily grapple with these regulatory differences. For example, in the EU, advertisers are banned from running tobacco- or alcohol-related advertisements. In Ireland, advertisements that undermine public authority are also outlawed. Regulatory differences may make it more challenging for obtrusive space advertisements to remain legal across multiple jurisdictions. [1]
Beyond content-based regulations, in countries like the United States, consumers have the right to opt out of receiving ads. It is unclear whether or not a consumer can effectively opt out of receiving space-based advertisements (e.g., by closing one's blinds). [1]
Another legal concern is that of property rights. As space-based ads would be brightly lit, non-consenting property owners might offer legal challenges claiming the ads a nuisance and an infringement upon their own legally held rights. [1]
The International Astronomical Union argues that artificial satellites built out of reflective material adversely impact astronomical observations. [29] Obtrusive space advertisements that are comparable to the brightness of the moon have the potential to make the observation of faint, distant objects impossible from the surface of the earth.
Space objects that have surpassed their functional use period and are not equipped with de-orbiting technology are considered space debris. Space debris can lead to collisions with other space objects, which can contribute to a cascading increase in space debris known as the Kessler syndrome. Increasing amounts of space debris can make space exploration and utilization of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) more difficult. [30]
Space advertisers could face penalties if the advertisements are considered to eventually become space debris. Because objects in orbit can remain in orbit for long periods of time, it is possible that the object remains in orbit longer than the advertising entity still exists. If approved, obtrusive space advertisers can expect to comply with end-of-life de-orbiting measures and anti-collision measures. [30]
While space advertising is a relatively new concept, it is subject to some international treaties and national policies, either specifically on space advertising or space commercial activities.
There is growing concern about the dangers of launching more objects, including advertisements, into space. Placing more satellites in space could increase opportunities for satellite collisions. Some researchers, such as John Crassidis, a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at the University of Buffalo, have argued that the biggest issue will be how the additional satellites can become space debris. [45] In other words, additional advertising satellites in space could contribute to Kessler syndrome.
Aside from the danger that can be brought about by increasing space advertising, pollution is also another problem. A paper that was presented to the United Nations by the International Astronomical Union stated that "scattered light from sunlit spacecraft and space debris, and radio noise from communications satellites and global positioning systems in space, reach the entire surface of the Earth”. [46] Furthermore, there is currently no international consensus on the best way to remove the space debris since space is international territory, and so the increase in space debris will increase the difficulty of reaching space because of the increased likelihood of collisions, which can deter future space missions. [47]
Advertising in outer space or space flight has been featured in several science fiction books, films, video games, and television series, and frequently in the animated series Futurama . They are usually shown as a satire of commercialization.
A satellite or artificial satellite is an object, typically a spacecraft, placed into orbit around a celestial body. Satellites have a variety of uses, including communication relay, weather forecasting, navigation (GPS), broadcasting, scientific research, and Earth observation. Additional military uses are reconnaissance, early warning, signals intelligence and, potentially, weapon delivery. Other satellites include the final rocket stages that place satellites in orbit and formerly useful satellites that later become defunct.
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A geostationary orbit, also referred to as a geosynchronous equatorial orbit (GEO), is a circular geosynchronous orbit 35,786 km (22,236 mi) in altitude above Earth's equator, 42,164 km (26,199 mi) in radius from Earth's center, and following the direction of Earth's rotation.
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Atlas V is an expendable launch system and the fifth major version in the Atlas launch vehicle family. It was originally designed by Lockheed Martin, now being operated by United Launch Alliance (ULA), a joint venture between Lockheed Martin and Boeing. It is used for DoD, NASA, and Commercial payloads. It is America's longest-serving active rocket. After 87 launches, in August 2021 ULA announced that Atlas V would be retired, and all 29 remaining launches had been sold. As of January 2024, 17 launches remain. Other future ULA launches will use the new Vulcan Centaur rocket.
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Iridium 33 was a communications satellite launched by Russia for Iridium Communications. It was launched into low Earth orbit from Site 81/23 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 01:36 UTC on 14 September 1997, by a Proton-K rocket with a Block DM2 upper stage. The launch was arranged by International Launch Services (ILS). It was operated in Plane 3 of the Iridium satellite constellation, with an ascending node of 230.9°.
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A space tug is a type of spacecraft used to transfer spaceborne cargo from one orbit to another orbit with different energy characteristics. The term can include expendable upper stages or spacecraft that are not necessarily a part of their launch vehicle. However, it can also refer to a spacecraft that transports payload already in space to another location in outer space, such as in the Space Transportation System concept. An example would be moving a spacecraft from a low Earth orbit (LEO) to a higher-energy orbit like a geostationary transfer orbit, a lunar transfer, or an escape trajectory.
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This article documents notable spaceflight events during the year 2019.
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The year 2022 witnessed the number of launches of SpaceX's Falcon rocket family surpassing the CNSA's Long March rocket family, making the United States the country with the highest number of launches in 2022 instead of China. This year also featured the first successful launch of Long March 6A, Nuri, Angara 1.2, Vega-C, Kinetica-1, and Jielong-3. National space agencies' activities in this year is also marred by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, leading to tension between Roscosmos and Western space agencies, threats of ending collaboration on the International Space Station (ISS), and delays on space missions.
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