Orbital Reflector
Orbital Reflector is a reflective, mylar sculpture by Trevor Paglen launched into the night sky as a temporary satellite. Co-produced by the Nevada Museum of Art, the $1.3 million project had the objective of being the first “purely artistic” object in space. The satellite, containing an inflatable mylar balloon with reflective surface, launched into space 3 December 2018.
| Orbital Reflector | |
|---|---|
| Artist | Trevor Paglen |
| Year | 2018 |
| Website | www |
Orbital Reflector launched on Monday, December 3rd, at 10:34 a.m. EST on board the SpaceX Spaceflight SSO-A: SmallSat Express.[1]
Originally it was expected to remain in orbit for three months, after which it would immolate upon reentry to the Earth's atmosphere. However, the deployment was delayed by the 2018–2019 United States federal government shutdown: by the time the 35-day shutdown had ended, the museum's engineers had lost contact with the satellite, the electronics and hardware of which "were not hardened for long-term functionality in space".[2] It became lost in orbit, constituting space junk.
The satellite was expected to burn up in the atmosphere within the next few years.[3]
See also
- Humanity Star, a passive satellite to reflect flares visible from Earth
- Znamya (satellite)
Further reading
- Cascone, Sarah (August 23, 2018). "Trevor Paglen Is About to Launch a Reflective Sculpture Into Outer Space, and Astronomers Are Really Pissed Off About It". Artnet News. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
- Cascone, Sarah (August 23, 2018). "Trevor Paglen Responds to Astronomers Who Criticize His Space-Based Art—and Has a Few Questions for Them, Too". Artnet News. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
- Chow, Denise (August 22, 2018). "Artist's artificial 'star' will take public art to new heights". NBC News. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
- Curiel, Jonathan (April 5, 2018). "Trevor Paglen's Satellite of Love". SF Weekly. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
- Dvorsky, George (August 16, 2018). "Hey Artists, Stop Putting Shiny Crap Into Space". Gizmodo. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
- Knapton, Sarah (August 12, 2018). "Heavens to shine with new 'star' as first space sculpture prepares for launch". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235.
- Nunes, Andrew; Wagley, Catherine (February 12, 2019). "Far Out! These 5 Cosmic Art Projects Prove That Outer Space Is the Next Avant-Garde Frontier". Artnet News. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
- Sohn, Timothy (November 28, 2018). "SpaceX Is Launching a Piece of Art Into Orbit". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028.
References
- King, Bob (December 5, 2018). "SpaceX Launches Orbiting Sculpture in the Sky". Sky and Telescope. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
- "Artist Trevor Paglen's $1.5 Million 'Orbital Reflector' Is Officially Lost in Space Thanks to President Trump's Government Shutdown". artnet News. May 2, 2019. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
- "How Donald Trump ruined a space art project". The Guardian. May 7, 2019.