A Russian examine claims that flying a formation of cubesats to create adverts within the evening sky may very well be economically viable, with every solar sail-carrying satellite projecting a pixel of a message to cities beneath.
The examine, by a group of researchers from Skolkovo Institute of Science and Know-how in Moscow and the Moscow Institute of Physics and Know-how, checked out the usage of 344 square-foot (32 sq. meters) solar sails that may be connected to the cubesats and angled to replicate 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 ultimate 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 gentle up, displaying shiny 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 lots of extra,” and arrives at a “tentative $65 million estimate for the complete mission price and exhibiting that such a mission may 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 undertaking may check current 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 thought for a wide range of causes, from the proliferation of space debris to considerations about satellite light pollution.”
It is not the primary time reflecting gentle 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 extra lighting for the town.
The authors of the brand new paper state that the formation would essentially function close to the terminator line which divides evening from day on Earth, that means they might solely be seen in periods near dawn or sundown.
One other matter fully, nevertheless, is that if anybody truly needs to see advertising messages punctuate the evening sky.
The study was revealed on-line within the journal Aerospace.
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