Advertising now to venture out of this world

DUBAI: Russia has blazed a new trail in space, developing technology that will soon enable advertising high above the Earth as early as next year, and shooting a full-length feature film at the International Space Station (ISS).

Participating in ‘Russia: Space’, held as part of Expo 2020 Dubai, Russian company Avant Space unveiled details of a project that will enable advertising in space. Using a constellation of 20-50 microsatellites, each projecting lasers, a digital billboard will be created high above the Earth. Brand logos could be recreated in the sky, and flown over major cities at specified times.

Alexander Malinin, Project Manager of Avant Space, said, “Space advertising is here. Using the power of micro satellites, augmented reality, and lasers, we are ready to take data transmission to a new level. This medium could be used by global brands or corporates to take their message to the whole world in the most unique and dramatic fashion. By 2022, we will have the first space billboard up in the sky.”

In another first, Russian film-maker Klim Shipenko and actress Yulia Peresild have recently returned to Earth after completing the first full-length feature film with scenes shot in space. The pair spent 12 days on the International Space Station (ISS) to shoot around 40 minutes of footage for their film, The Challenge, after undergoing four months of training at the Gagarin Space Training Centre. The movie follows a surgeon (Peresild), who is sent into space on an emergency mission to save the life of a cosmonaut.

Speaking via video, Shipenko said, “It is thrilling to become the first film-maker to shoot a live-action film in zero gravity. This opens new frontiers for filmmakers. Filming in space gives a lot of freedom, allowing us to move from two-dimensional to four-dimensional. I could film the most complicated camera moves with ease. I feel this is just the start. Hopefully, in the future, we could take a bigger crew.”

Peresild said, “I felt great. The training was intense, but not overwhelming. I felt so good, I didn’t want to leave.”

Her Excellency Sarah Bint Yousef Al Amiri, UAE Minister of State for Advanced Technology and Chairwoman of UAE Space Agency, briefly attended the event, which included a discussion on ‘International Cooperation in Space Exploration.’

Other speakers included Dmitry Rogozin, General Director, Roscosmos; Sergei Krikalev, Russian cosmonaut and Executive Director for Human Flights; and Dmitri Loskutsov, General Director, Glavkosmos.

Source: Expo 2020 website