4 NFT projects that literally went to space
In an age where technology and art intertwine in dynamic ways, it is becoming increasingly common for artists to seek new, unconventional media and platforms for their work. An example is Thank you Xa renowned digital artist best known for his street art and innovative approach to digital creations.
Also known as Ryan Wilson, ThankYouX is no stranger to breaking boundaries. After starting his career on the streets of Los Angeles with spray paint, he quickly progressed to embrace digital art, gaining international recognition for his unique style that combines traditional elements with futuristic design.
On May 21, 2023, in a remarkable event that marked a historic intersection of art, technology and space exploration, ThankYouX’s NFT, Desire for perfection, launched into space aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. This crewed mission – called AX-2 – is the second private launch chartered by Axiom Space, a private space company that has previously launched NFTs into orbit. His work took about 15 hours on the craft before it docked with the International Space Station (ISS) on May 22.
“It was the most surreal experience to see a rocket take my art to space,” ThankYouX said in an interview with nft now. “I got to meet the head of NASA, Bill Nelson, which was pretty cool.”
Axiom approached ThankYouX about the opportunity when they found out how much he loves space and he immediately agreed. The crew of four (and NFT) will stay aboard the ISS for eight days.
“They take my art out and let it float around,” ThankYouX continued. “When the painting returns to Earth, we will auction it off.” This bold venture asks us to recall other instances where NFTs transcended our planet to touch the cosmos. Here are some of the unforgettable moments.
Micah Johnson’s Why not me
Former Major League Baseball player, artist Micah Johnson was sent Why not me to space on July 28, 2021, making it one of the first NFTs to fly into space and the first NFT painting to do so. The artwork depicts his character Aku, a young black astronaut who represents opportunity and dreams, especially for underrepresented communities.
The digital artwork was sent to a server on the ISS by Nanoracks LLC and Artemis Music Entertainment, where it orbited the Earth. Johnson’s intention was not only to push the boundaries of art, but also to inspire a generation of black and brown children to dream without limits.
Why not me was then auctioned off, with the proceeds going to Students for the Exploration and Development of Space.
moonlight music NFT
Aku was not alone on his journey to the ISS in July 2021. With him was the first music NFT to travel to space: Claude Debussy’s moonlight. The digital file, performed by Hong Kong-based pianist Wing-Chong Kam, orbited the Earth for about 90 minutes before being transmitted back and embossed as an NFT.
This technological milestone is just a first step for Artemis Music Entertainment, the company behind the mission. Beaming the moonlight The NFT to the ISS was made to test the Artemis Space Network, a space-based commercial platform for art, music and entertainment. In the future, other digital artists may follow Aku and Debussy’s legacy – to the ISS, the moon, Mars and beyond.
The first NFTs created in space
Atlas is an innovative NFT series of Xin Liu which merges the digital realm with the analogue, using radio frequencies from retired weather satellites to create unique cartographic images. Launched by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in 1998, these decommissioned satellites provide data that Liu translates into images that resemble Xerox copies of surveillance images of Earth’s mountainous regions.
The project began during the early COVID-19 quarantine when Liu and her partner, Gershon Dublon, began tuning into open analog radio channels. This led them to open source platforms that allow individuals to receive signals from retired NOAA satellites. Liu then transformed these signals into a series of NFTs, pairing each downloaded satellite image with the code of the original frequency as part of the blockchain. The series is hailed as the first NFTs made in space.
Honorable mention: retired astronaut makes NFTs
Although these NFT collections never made it out of Earth’s atmosphere, we’d be remiss if we didn’t include former NASA astronaut Scott Kelly’s digital art on this list. Kelly launched his first NFT collection of 3,333 pieces on April 12, 2022, titled, Dreaming out of this world. The initiative was highly successful, with all pieces sold within six hours, generating around $435,000. Proceeds went to the non-profit organization Global Empowerment Mission.
Kelly has now started the second phase of Dreaming out of this world, with a new NFT collection that includes 15 photographs he took during his record-setting 340 days aboard the ISS, each accompanied by his personal audio narration.
Each of these cases has pushed the boundaries of art and technology, proving that creativity knows no bounds.
Editor’s note: This article was written by an nft employee in collaboration with OpenAI’s GPT-4.
