Thursday, January 22, 2015

Billboards in space

SpaceBillboard, a supporter of innovative space research, is set to launch their first billboard into space in a milestone that marks the increasing importance of CubeSats in space exploration.

Researchers at the KU Leuven University in Belgium came up with the novel idea of launching a real billboard into space to help fund their research on NexGen satellites called CubeSats.

A CubeSat is small - about the size of a milk carton - and lightweight, which makes them cheaper to build and launch. It is the perfect answer for universities and start-ups to get involved in space research.

 Tjorven Delabie, co-founder of SpaceBillboard said: "This is an out-of-this-world project, that allows companies to bring their brand into space. The idea is catching on, and several companies have already secured their spot." 

The launch of the billboard is scheduled for January 2016, to be launched from Alcântara, Brazil.

The messages on the SpaceBillboard will be the highest and the fastest ever seen in the industry, flying at 17,500 miles per hour at an altitude of 310 miles. The billboard will orbit the Earth 15 times a day, becoming the first advertisements that literally bring their message around the world.

Although the billboard will not be visible from Earth, all messages will be continuously visible on the SpaceBillboard website as well as used in the customers' branding campaigns.

The CubeSat is expected to operate in orbit for up to ten years. After that, it will burn up in the atmosphere, ensuring that no space debris is left behind.

SpaceBillboard was founded in 2014 by three PhD researchers from Belgium's KU Leuven
University to support innovative space research at an affordable cost.

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