Companies offered giant leap for advertising

The marketing ambition of most brands extends to a digital billboard on a bus stop or perhaps a touchscreen display in a shopping centre. But a lunar rover manufacturer has opened up a new horizon in the battle among household names to be at the forefront of innovation – the Moon.

Astrolab, a Californian startup formed by a team of Nasa veterans and former SpaceX engineers, will send its Flex rover to the Moon in 2026 after signing a deal with Elon Musk’s rocket business SpaceX last year.

It has now signed a deal with Group of Humans, a network for creative professionals, to offer businesses the chance to test and advertise their products on the lunar surface, as Nasa plans to build a base for a permanent presence there.

Rob Noble, the founder of Group of Humans, said the capabilities of the rover, which could carry 1.5 tonnes of equipment, meant there were a multitude of possibilities.

He noted that his proposal was nothing new, pointing to the Omega Speedmaster watches that Nasa astronauts wore for all six Moon landings, and the spacesuits being designed by Prada with commercial space station architect Axiom for Nasa’s next lunar mission.

Noble has ruled out providing companies with a platform to create gimmicks. He criticised the decision by a memorial spaceflight service to blast the ashes of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry and several former cast members into space in January.

Group of Humans has developed a “lunar charter” that all participating brands must sign, setting out a commitment to the betterment of life back on Earth, and respect for the universe’s natural resources.

–TheTimes