--- title: "Experts Respond to Orbiting Space Billboards: “Harmful”" description: "The consensus: it's not just Futurism readers who hate the idea of space billboards — scientists are worried about the concept as well." date: "2019-01-20" modified: "2019-01-20" authors: - name: "Jon Christian" job_title: "Executive Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jonc" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/experts-orbiting-space-billboards-harmful" categories: - "Off-World" - "Space" tags: - "advertising" - "satellites" - "space" - "the digest" --- # Experts Respond to Orbiting Space Billboards: “Harmful” ![The consensus: it's not just Futurism readers who hate the idea of space billboards — scientists are worried about the concept as well.]() *\Image: StartRocket\* ## Orbiting Space Billboards On Jan. 8, Futurism [reported on]() a Russian startup called StartRocket, which wants to launch giant orbiting space billboards into the night sky using constellations of cubesats. Online, the response was swift and damning. "No place is sacred anymore," wrote one Futurism reader. "The night sky needs to be protected as public space not private revenue generating space." "This startup made an AI read every dystopian fiction novel and is turning its cursed ramblings into business plans," wrote another. Yet another opined that "shooting down those ads should be legal." ## Mainstream Media As the outrage grew, the mainstream media jumped on the story. *NBC News* [reported on]() StartRocket, as well as [*Wired*](), *[Popular Mechanics](),* [*Digital Trends*]() and *[Astronomy]().* The consensus: it's not just Futurism readers who hate the idea — scientists are worried about the concept as well. "There’s not a lot that can be done other than keeping scorn upon the companies that might advertise with the satellite owners," University of Michigan in Ann Arbor astronomer Patrick Seitzer [told *Astronomy*](). "We are going to continue to be advocates for a night sky that is free of this kind of activity and remains as accessible to all humanity as possible." "It’s not serving any good purpose outside of advertising," University at Buffalo aerospace engineer John Crassidis [told *NBC*](). "I’m not a big fan of this at all." ## Harmful Space law expert Joanne Gabrynowicz agreed. "Scientists will argue that this reflected light interferes with the ability to study the skies," she told *NBC.* "And if it interferes with science, that is harmful." **READ MORE:** [This Russian startup wants to put billboards in space. Astronomers aren’t impressed]() \[*Astronomy*\] ***More on space billboards:*** [This Startup Wants to Launch Giant Glowing Ads Into the Night Sky]() ## Author I'm responsible for editing, assigning, and scouting at Futurism, as well as occasionally writing for the site. That work involves keeping an eye on a wide range of narratives and issues, but over the past few years I've become increasingly interested in how AI is shaping the future of media, the web, and information itself. My day-to-day often involves collaborating on reporting and commentary projects bylined by my colleagues, but I try to find time to do my own reporting as well; stories I've broken for Futurism have been cited by publications including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the New Yorker, Wired, Ars Technica, New York Magazine, the Columbia Journalism Review, Bloomberg, and more. I grew up in Southern Vermont and attended Vanderbilt University. Prior to Futurism, I contributed to outlets including the Boston Globe, Vice, Wired, Slate, the Atlantic, the Outline, Ars Technica and more, and did stints in farming and food service. I currently live in Brooklyn, New York, and in my free time I enjoy pinball, word games, cycling, running, and music production. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()