Gagarinets (satellite)

History

2024: Orbiting

In April 2024, Russia launched the world's first satellite into orbit, which will launch advertising in the sky. We are talking about a spacecraft called "Gagarinets," which was developed by the non-state company Avant Space.

According to the press service of Roscosmos, the small spacecraft Gagarinets, created in the Cubesat 3U format, was launched by the Angara-A5 launch vehicle from the Vostochny cosmodrome.

source = Roscosmos

According to RBC in Skolkovo, whose resident is Avant Space, the advertising satellite is equipped with a laser projection system. It is assumed that, moving in orbit at an altitude of 500-600 km, a constellation of such satellites will form logos and texts in the sky similar to constellations.

Advertising projection will be turned on during the passage of satellites over cities for 3 − 5 minutes. Advertising from such satellites will be able to see residents of the 18 largest cities in the world with a total population of more than 355 million people.

The satellites will work on the principle of a QR code, which broadcasts up to 30 characters per second, and users will be able to download a mobile application to read it. According to the developers, the picture will be visible to the naked eye even over large megacities with high light pollution.

Satellite lasers are said to be safe for aviation and do not interfere with astronomical observations. The electric power of lasers on one satellite is more than 150 watts, which corresponds to the consumption of a light bulb. The position of satellites in orbit is corrected using a propulsion system. The weight of the engine is 1 kg. It is estimated that over several years of active use of the spacecraft, it will use up about 0.2 kg of fuel.

Logo placement costs $1 million when concluding a contract by the end of 2024.^[1]

Notes