SpaceX helps to launch new sculpture in space

Artist Trevor Paglen is launching his latest work of art in space and is meant to be visible to the naked eye. The sculpture will inflate into an elongated diamond shape. (Photo from Trevor Paglen and Nevada Museum of Art)

It's rare to have high technology come together with high art. This November, one artist has big plans for unveiling his latest work of art. He’s going all the way to space. Artist Trevor Paglen will launch his “Orbital Reflector,” a sculpture made of shiny material similar to Mylar that will reflect the sun’s light and orbit around the Earth next month. The sculpture is set to launch on a Falcon 9 rocket built by Elon Musk’s company SpaceX from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

When the sculpture enters orbit 350 miles away from Earth, it will then separate from the rocket and inflate into an elongated diamond shape about 100 feet long. It will circle the Earth about every 90 minutes and should be easy to see at night with the naked eye. After two months, it will return to Earth’s atmosphere and burn away.

During the design process, Paglen had to consider the level of light intensity he wanted the sculpture to reflect, how long it would spend orbiting the Earth, and what technology would help meet his goals. As you would guess, the project was expensive. It had a budget of $1.5 million and raised funds from a Kickstarter campaign and sponsors. Most of the money went towards fabrication and launch costs.

"For me, it was important to create a kind of catalyst for people to go out and to look at the sky and think about … the politics of space and public space," Paglen said.  "I was noticing that there was a kind of military occupation of space that had been in place for a long time. I started to think about how space might be different."

Though it sounds amazing, not everyone in the science community gets its appeal. Some think it’s similar to putting a huge billboard outside your window. Others think the whole project is impractical and doesn’t add anything to space studies. Still, others see it as a way to encourage people to get out there and look up at the skies and get off of their phones.

Not one to stay silent, Paglen addressed these criticisms in a blog post titled “Let’s Get Pissed Off About Orbital Reflector.” He clarifies the goal of the project by saying “My intention has been to bring some awareness about how profoundly compromised space has become by the world’s militaries and corporations,” he wrote. “I want people to ask questions about the legitimate uses of space. I want people to think about who should have the right to put what into space, and to what ends.”

Regardless of how you feel, Paglen’s space sculpture is sure to be a sight, so make sure you try to catch it when it launches in November.

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