NOVEMBER | COVER FEATURE
"As Access went to
press, happenstance
struck when Samsung
proved our premise that
space-based events will
be a popular focus"
Experience’s managing director Kim Myhre.
“Significant capital is being amassed, with
billions of dollars being poured into private
space companies. UBS estimates that the
broader space industry is worth about $400bn
today and could double in value by 2030. So,
no wonder the likes of Richard Branson and
Jeff Bezos are betting big on this still nascent
industry.
Myhre spots an opportunity for events in
space as travel times decrease. “Among the
mind-boggling range of potential space tourism
opportunities, the sector most talked about
today is high speed space travel. The potential
is to cut international air travel between
destination over 10 hours from 15 hours to
under 45 minutes. This is game changing.
Today cost is prohibitive, but advances and
technology and scale are expected to continue
to drive costs down and viability up.
“But space travel is only one of the many
future possibilities. Can we imagine space
adventure experiences like a trip around the
moon, or space station events where business
leaders are shuttled to ‘space festival’ stations?
Why not? As the events industry continues to
search for the next most unique, exclusive and
memorable settings for events we could all be
heading into space sooner that we think."
Samsung takes to the stars
As Access went to press on this issue,
happenstance struck when Samsung proved
our premise that space-based events will be a
popular focus.
On 16 October, the electronics giant launched
'The SpaceSelfie mission' to promote theGalaxy
S10 5G. The promotion gives consumers the
chance to get their face in space.
Working alongside innovation partner
Unit9 and aerospace partner Flightline Films,
Samsung looked to push the potential of mobile
technology.
Benjamin Braun, chief marketing officer,
Samsung Europe. “We are constantly pushing
the boundaries of what is possible and with
SpaceSelfie, we will show that amazing things
continue to happen using Samsung technology -
even from the edge of space.”
A super-pressure High Altitude Balloon half
the size of a basketball court (10.5m x 18m) will
ascend from a launch pad in South Dakota,
carrying a bespoke 'payload box' in which the
S10 5G is held, to reach up to 64,900 ft.
The payload is designed to ensure the best
quality photos are captured by factoring in
the earth’s curvature and reflective light from
the sun, whose solar energy powers both the
payload and the S10 5G itself.
An app, specifically designed for the S10 5G,
communicates with the still camera on the
rig, commanding it to take the photo of a selfie
displayed on the device’s screen. The S10 app
then tells the ground app to send the image
back to earth and from there it is delivered
direct to the consumer.
The S10 5G was subjected to rigorous pre-
launch testing and was able to withstand
temperatures of up to -65°C.
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