Pepsi in the sky with diamonds

[Mike Mercury]

Pepsi Plans to Project a Giant Ad in the Night Sky Using Cubesats


https://boingboing.net/2019/04/14/srsly-****-this.html

Pepsi says it'll use an artificial constellation, hung in the night sky next to the stars, to promote an energy drink.

A Russian company called StartRocket says it’s going to launch a cluster of cubesats into space that will act as an “orbital billboard,” projecting enormous advertisements into the night sky like artificial constellations. And its first client, it says, will be PepsiCo — which will use the system to promote a “campaign against stereotypes and unjustified prejudices against gamers” on behalf of an energy drink called Adrenaline Rush.

Yeah, the project sounds like an elaborate prank. But Russian PepsiCo spokesperson Olga Mangova confirmed to Futurism that the collaboration is real.

“We believe in StartRocket potential,” she wrote in an email. “Orbital billboards are the revolution on the market of communications. That’s why on behalf of Adrenaline Rush — PepsiCo Russia energy non-alcoholic drink, which is brand innovator, and supports everything new, and non-standard — we agreed on this partnership.”

Researchers are concerned by the idea.

“Launching art projects like this with no commercial, scientific, or national security value seems unwise,” University of Michigan astronomy professor Patrick Seitzer told Astronomy.

Now, StartRocket claims to have tested the technology with a helium balloon that launched one of its reflectors into the stratosphere — where it was visible from the ground.

“An hour and a half after the launch we concluded that the test was successful,” Sitnikov said.

StartRocket plans to launch the system into orbit in 2021. It’s currently raising funds, it says — and a $20,000 investment will buy eight hours of advertising in the night sky.

[Jobaka]

What a horrible idea.
I hope it never happens.

[TripleBlack]

Originally Posted by Jobaka

What a horrible idea.
I hope it never happens.

We should just shoot it down if they do it.

[Rob]

There was one that was supposed to go up a few months back on a SpaceX rocket by artist Trevor Paglen but not sure what happened.


https://www.orbitalreflector.com/


edit: mission was scrubbed because of the government shutdown. Will be rescheduled

[JetMechZ16]

Talk about light pollution!

[StaticCling]

I really don't care for this idea. Imagine some uncontacted tribe in the Amazon seeing this shit.

[JetMechZ16]

Originally Posted by chinaski

I really don't care for this idea. Imagine some uncontacted tribe in the Amazon seeing this shit.

What about a night sky filled with billboards? That's gonna look like

[StaticCling]

Originally Posted by JetMechZ16

What about a night sky filled with billboards? That's gonna look like

Don't care. Worried about uncontacted Amazon tribes.

[Jobaka]

Originally Posted by chinaski

I really don't care for this idea. Imagine some uncontacted tribe in the Amazon seeing this shit.

Not to worry. They're all too busy looking down at their iPhones to ever look up at the sky.

[MadInNc]

Then somebody will charge you $9.99 per minute to look at the stars, with their special VR glasses of course.....