SPhotonix Sends Both Oldest and Newest Art into Space with Mission Possible Launch
A 5D Memory Crystal containing digital images of the earliest cave paintings from the Paleolithic era as well as the newest art, an AI generated image of the moon landings with the most popular NFT, successfully launched into orbit this week.
With a launch time 23.15 CEST, the Space X Falcon 9 rocket containing The Exploration Company’s first ever space Nyx capsule climbed into the night sky to begin its earth orbit. The SPhotonix crystal is part of an art and tech tray curated by MoonMars Museum in a Space Renaissance for All payload.
The Chauvet Cave paintings, from the Ardeche region of France, are considered to be the oldest and best examples of prehistoric cave paintings dating over 32,000 years. They provide an array of artwork including many animals as well as abstracts and hand prints. Marieke Feenstra, MoonMars Museum received official authorisation for the official digital files to be used by SPhotonix.
The high resolution digital images were commissioned by UNESCO in 2010. This and the analogue AI moon landing image, which is the most popular and proven NFT associated modern art form, were FemtoEtched(™) into the quartz structure with representational artwork on the exterior.
Mission Possible is a three-part project with phase one being the orbit of the earth. This will be followed by a lunar orbit before a moon landing currently scheduled for early 2026. Once the payload has re-entered the atmosphere intact, it will then go through scientific and technical evaluation, available to museums, artists, and other interested parties.
The mission was initiated by LUNEX CEO and SRI President Prof. Bernard Foing (former ESA Chief Scientist and lead of first ESA lunar mission SMART1). The payload has up to 40 partners including SPhotonix, UN, NASA, IAA, EuroSpace Hub, and IAF.
Prof. Bernard Foing said, “Together with MoonMars and our partners, we are creating a human-centric space future that carries our stories, our knowledge, and our spirit. We have developed a space payload to celebrate the values and goals of SRI Space Renaissance, LUNEX and partners.“
SPhotonix CEO, Ilya Kaznsky commented: “Our 5D Memory Crystals contain not just the newest form of art but also the oldest from the Paleolithic Age. It’s crucial that we actively preserve such significant cultural parts from human life on earth as we move into the future. Using our breakthrough nanotechnology featuring proprietary FemoEtch™, we store data in quartz glass durable for billions of years, even in harsh space conditions.
“This is a second space mission for SPhotonix as a different 5D Memory Crystal was part of Elon Musk’s Space X Falcon Heavy 2018 launch. Containing the Isaac Eisemoth Foundation trilogy, Musk’s favorite book, it was placed in the glove compartment of the red Tesla Roadster that successfully launched into space.”
“The core pursuit of SPhotonix is to revolutionize the data centre storage systems for next generation AI with 5D optical storage technology. As well as introduce a new era of quartz glass based advanced optics with lucrative applications in fusion, space and beyond.”
Mission Possible, part of The Exploration Company’s Nyx roadmap, aims to validate key systems for controlled re-entry and orbital services. It takes a different approach: industrially led, privately funded and structured around a scalable roadmap. The mission reflects a new model for space development in Europe, prioritizing speed, iteration and cost-effectiveness.
SPhotonix was founded upon over three decades of Prof. Kazansky’s research at the University of Southampton’s Optoelectronics Research Center that recently stored the human genome on a 5D memory crystal that can last billions of years. The revolutionary technology developed for that purpose is now being applied to create these groundbreaking optical elements.
