The project, titled Orbital Reflector, will see Paglen launch CubeSat, a satellite the size of a brick into low earth orbit aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Once in space, a 100-foot-long diamond-shaped balloon will deploy from the CubeSat, reflecting sunlight back to Earth, making the satellite visible from ground without a telescope. The satellite would be launched in the Spring of 2018, staying in orbit for about two months.
The artist and the museum aim to raise $70.000 by November. Paglen and the Nevada Museum of Art, who have worked alongside aerospace engineers and space system experts such as Global Western and Spaceflight services on this project, hope that Orbital Reflector — which will be the only non-functional, non-commercial and non-military satellite in orbit around Earth — will push the boundaries of what we define as art, challenging “the way we engage with the world”.
The Kickstarter campaign is accessible here.
Digital Rendering of Orbital Reflector.
