Free Astronomy Magazine March-April 2019

MARCH-APRIL 2019 engineer with specific aerospace knowl- edge. In fact, to define the technical details of his project and to develop a prototype of the display, he called on the private Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technol- ogy (Skoltech) in Moscow. Moreover, he does not seem to have the necessary funds to go beyond this first phase (over 200 mil- lion dollars will be needed). As a result, the launch of cubesat fleets in- tended for advertising is subject to the signing of contracts with investors and cus- tomers, which are non-existent today. Po- tential investors and customers may be discouraged by possible boycotts of their products, organized by environmentalists, astronomers, and other categories more-or- less directly annoyed or damaged by the displays. Another factor discouraging the signing of contracts with StartRocket is the fact that a significant part of the planet’s population is concentrated in big cities and their suburbs, places where the clear sky is often clouded by atmospheric and light pollution - a circumstance that would fre- quently prevent the viewing of the dis- plays. Even when they were visible, their presence would take second place com- pared to the most common and most lumi- nous signs pervasive in many cities. The StartRocket project could, therefore, run aground before ending the testing phase of the technical studies currently un- derway. Not having a sufficient engineer- ing and technological background, the company will always be dependent upon external partners, and this will entail high costs against random receipts. Moreover, it is estimated that the operational life of each fleet of cubesats will be about a year, after which, due to the orbital decay and the exhaustion of the propellant necessary for the reconfiguration of the “pixels,” substitute cubesats will have to be launched. Considering all the difficulties that Start- Rocket will have to overcome to realize and manage its project, it is very probable that it will never succeed. Since Sitnikov and col- leagues are also aware of this, it is ques- tionable whether the whole project is not simply a “publicity stunt” to attract public attention and potential investors for more concrete future projects. This is a fairly common strategy in the private aerospace sector. It also happens that the projects then dissolve into nothing, along with the loans granted by imprudent investors. All in all, those who love the night sky as it is can, for now, feel confident that no one should be able to invade it with bright ad- vertising in the coming years. But, if in the meantime, no ad hoc laws are passed to defend this last pristine frontier, we can be sure that, sooner or later, the worst will happen. T his Start- Rocket’s pro- motional illustra- tion is accompa- nied, on the com- pany’s website, by a statement that we leave the reader to judge: “Space has to be beautiful. With the best brands our sky will amaze us every night.” [StartRocket] !