RENO, Nev. (AP) — The Nevada Museum of Art is ready to launch a $1.5 million diamond-shaped balloon into space.
The Reno Gazette-Journal reports that the project will be deployed Monday. The museum's "Orbital Reflector" project is being billed as a sculpture. It's the idea of Berlin-based artist Trevor Paglen.
The 100-foot-long sculpture will be stuffed in a package attached to a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that will launch from California's Vandenberg Air Force Base.
The sculpture that self-inflates as a balloon will burst from the package and remain in orbit for about 60 days before it burns. It will look like a sparkle to the naked eye at night.
The newspaper reports the project has been criticized by some scientists, who have deemed it obnoxious and a blemish on the night sky.