A Canadian start-up aims to send a satellite capable of broadcasting advertisements into space. The announcement led to strong criticism on the Internet, but what do we really know about this project? Will we be able to see these ads from our backyards? And could they interfere with astronomical observations?
Geometric Energy Corporation (GEC) has recently developed a CubSat (a cube-shaped minisatellite about 10 cm on a side) capable of displaying images on a screen pixelated. In an interview with Business Insider, Samuel Reid, the company's co-founder, explained that these ads will be displayed on one side of this small satellite. Those who wish to purchase advertising space will need to purchase tokens to claim, locate and design a specific pixel on the screen.
Five types of tokens will be available. One will determine the pixel's X coordinate, while another will determine the Y coordinate. /P>
The price of these tokens has not yet been announced, but we already know that the company will only accept cryptocurrencies . According to Samuel Reid, this will help "democratize access to space and enable decentralized participation ".
Once in orbit, a mini selfie stick will be deployed to film the display and stream it live on YouTube or Twitch. You got it, so there will be no huge commercials broadcast in the night sky.
While the concept could be of interest to companies wishing to exploit unique advertising channels, the company's boss points out that these pixels could also be exploited by artists or people with other interests. For example, we could imagine a marriage proposal.
“There might be companies that want to represent their logo...or it might end up being a bit more personal and artistic “, emphasizes Reid. "I hope people don't waste money on something inappropriate, insulting or offensive ".
Very small and very light, CubeSats are often deployed into orbit as a secondary payload. In other words, the companies that operate them pay to fly on other missions. In this case, the CubeSat designed by GEC will be attached to a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket as part of a mission scheduled for next year.
