Science fiction stories have long portrayed human settlements on the Moon filled with glitzy advertisements and bright neon billboards.
For example, in the 2019 film ‘Ad Astra’, a lunar colony is dotted with logos of big brands like Virgin, Apple and Atico.
Now it seems that two companies are about to take a giant leap in advertising by making it a reality in just a few years.
Californian startup Astrolab has signed a deal with a creative agency called Group of Humans to offer brands the ability to advertise on the moon.
Astrolab aims to send its ‘Flex’ rover to the moon in 2026, although it’s unclear exactly how the lunar rover would be involved in whipping up the latest products.
Astrolab aims to send its ‘Flex’ rover to the Moon in 2026, although it’s unclear exactly how the lunar rover would participate in the flogging of the latest products. Advertisements could appear on the side of the buggy, which has been designed to transport humans and materials around the moon (MailOnline impression)
In the 2019 film Ad Astra, a future colony on the moon is dotted with logos of big brands like Virgin, Apple and Atico.
Advertisements may be displayed on the side of the buggy, which has been designed to transport humans and materials around the moon.
Rob Noble, founder of Group of Humans, said the times that brands in sectors such as telecommunications, construction and art could benefit from lunar ads.
The firm has developed a ‘lunar charter’ that all participating brands must sign and which establishes a commitment to ‘improving life on Earth’.
“Brands can really stand out as a result of putting themselves in this situation where there is no atmosphere and gravity is limited,” Mr Noble said.
“You’re exposing your products to all kinds of extremes that will help you learn and at the same time show consumers that they are really strong.”
The idea of product placement during space travel is nothing new, he noted.
For example, during the Apollo missions of the 1960s, Omega’s Speedmaster wristwatch was an official part of every astronaut’s equipment.
And NASA is working with Prada to design spacesuits for astronauts to wear on the moon on the Artemis III mission.
The Californian space startup Astrolab intends to send its ‘Flex’ rover to the moon in 2026, intended to transport cargo and astronauts
NASA hopes to develop a sustainable lunar exploration program starting in 2028. This artist’s illustration shows what NASA’s Artemis Base Camp could look like.
But Noble ruled out any kind of “stunt” similar to the recent failed Peregrine One mission to the moon, which carried the remains of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry.
Unfortunately, Peregrine One burned up in Earth’s atmosphere without ever reaching the lunar surface, meaning Roddenberry’s remains were lost.
“These are not some trashy tricks to ship Star Trek remnants,” he said.
‘We are focused on ensuring that the moon’s resources are cared for and preserved.
‘It’s about being really thoughtful and aware that this is going to be really important for humanity.
“We want to find companies that really want to change the world.”
Astrolab made headlines a couple of years ago when it revealed a prototype of its Flex rover that would allow humans to zip around the surface of the moon.
The buggy will also be able to crouch and lift payloads from the lunar ground, before transporting them under its belly and depositing the payload in the desired location.
Full-scale Flex prototype completed test drive in California desert near Death Valley
The buggy will also be able to crouch and lift payloads from the lunar ground, before transporting them under its belly and depositing the payload in the desired location.
The buggy can be controlled remotely, maneuvered semi-autonomously, and even modified to include a crew interface so astronauts can ride on board while driving it across the surface of the moon.
Astrolab plans to assemble a fleet of its rovers in the coming years in an attempt to become “the UPS, FedEx and Uber of the moon.”
The full-scale prototype completed a test drive in the California desert near Death Valley, a surface on Earth very similar to the dusty lunar surface.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX company will transport the first Flex rover to the moon in mid-2026, the same year NASA plans to land humans on the moon again.
Ultimately, Flex will be one of perhaps hundreds of private companies that will have developed equipment to sustain a permanent lunar base.
Finally, as part of its Artemis program, NASA plans to establish a base camp in the southern region of the Moon later this decade.
The group of humans website It is currently making calls for interested companies to get in touch.
It says: ‘Our mission with Astrolab’s Flex rover in 2026 is not just a trip to the moon; It is a leap forward for science, culture and civilization itself.
“We’re asking a handful of the most responsible and iconic brands on the planet to help us create a new frontier in communication, product innovation and values.”
NASA plans to send a crewed mission to Mars in the 2030s after the first Moon landing
Mars has become the next big step for humanity’s space exploration.
But before humans reach the red planet, astronauts will take a series of small steps as they return to the moon for a year-long mission.
Details of the lunar orbit mission have been revealed as part of a timeline of events that will lead to missions to Mars in the 2030s.
NASA has outlined its four-stage plan (pictured) that it hopes will one day allow humans to visit Mars at the Humans to Mars Summit held yesterday in Washington DC. This will involve multiple missions to the Moon in the coming decades.
In May 2017, Greg Williams, NASA’s deputy associate administrator for policy and plans, outlined the space agency’s four-phase plan that it hopes will one day allow humans to visit Mars, as well as its anticipated timeline.
Phase one and two It will involve multiple trips to lunar space, to allow the construction of a habitat that will provide a staging area for the trip.
The last piece of hardware delivered would be the deep space transport vehicle that would then be used to transport a crew to Mars.
And in 2027, a year-long simulation of life on Mars will take place.
Phases three and four will begin after 2030 and will involve sustained crewed expeditions to the Martian system and the surface of Mars.