Elon Musk announces high definition virtual reality stream of SpaceX’s moon mission
If you never fulfilled your childhood dream of becoming an astronaut and flying to the moon, Elon Musk has the next best thing lined up for you.
Musk, the CEO of SpaceX, has announced that the company’s 2023 moon mission will be streamed live in high-definition virtual reality so that viewers can get as close to the action as possible without being there in the flesh.
“Moon mission will be livestreamed in high-def VR, so it’ll feel like you’re there in real-time minus a few seconds for speed of light,” the business magnate said.
Moon mission will be livestreamed in high def VR, so it’ll feel like you’re there in real-time minus a few seconds for speed of light
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 18, 2018
If you’re wondering how Musk and SpaceX plan on achieving their goal, it looks like the billionaire has already given that some thought: “Starlink should be active by then,” he says.
The SpaceX Starlink constellation is a satellite system that the company hopes will consist of over 3,500 spacecraft by 2024. Theoretically, this would provide them with the sort of high-bandwidth connection that a high-definition stream from space would require.
Yeah, Starlink should be active by then
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 18, 2018
2023 may seem like a long way away, but it is sure to come around very quickly for the people working on the various pieces of the puzzle that would make the livestream go off without a hitch.
If Musk and SpaceX are successful, though, the SpaceX BFR (Big Falcon Rocket) moon mission stream could go down as one of the biggest events of the 21st century.
A Japanese billionaire, Yusaka Maezawa, bought all of the available seats for the mission and plans to choose between six and eight artists to join him on the journey. Those artists will then be tasked with creating work inspired by the mission.
The rocket will not land on the surface of the moon, but will orbit around it instead.