Elon Musk’s Space Billboard Will Not Be Visible From Earth

Maxim Sorokopud

Technology

11th August 2021

Elon Musk’s Space Billboard Will Not Be Visible From Earth

The ad will be about four inches long (Getty Images).

The Claim

Elon Musk’s SpaceX company will launch a billboard into space.

News posted on

Emerging story

A recent exclusive news update from Business Insider has created significant amounts of discussion online. This update stated that Elon Musk’s SpaceX and a Canadian company had teamed up to launch a satellite into orbit that contained a screen that would display adverts.

Soon, a range of other sources and social media users began describing the satellite as a billboard or billboards in space. The social media posts have gained hundreds of interactions, with some users claiming that the satellite would be a billboard and others claiming that it wasn’t truly a billboard.

A supporting image within the article body

Misbar’s Analysis

Misbar’s investigation concludes that this story has been exaggerated. The Business Insider exclusive report, which comes from the founder of the Canadian company collaborating with SpaceX, states that there will be just one satellite. The source also never once uses the word “billboard.” That’s because the satellite will be a CubeSat, which is four inches long. Technically, there is no strict definition of what size a billboard needs to be. The Merriam-Webster definition linked in the previous sentence just states that a billboard is a “large panel.” While “large” is a subjective figure, most people would likely not consider a four-inch screen to fit this definition.

The satellite will not be visible from the surface of the Earth. Instead, the satellite’s screen will be broadcast to the Earth via a camera on a selfie stick. The footage will then be live-streamed to the Earth. The launch of this satellite is planned to be in early 2022.

The satellite broadcast is not especially revolutionary from a technological or scientific viewpoint. It will not be the first live stream from space. In fact, the International Space Station broadcasts a live-stream from space that has gained over 258 million views to date.