Rocket Lab founder, Peter Beck, stands with his Humanity Star.

The concept began as a star in the eyes of Rocket Lab's founder and CEO Peter Beck who wanted to create a shared experience for all humanity by sending up a satellite that is the brightest object in the night sky ... The Humanity Star, which was launched on board the Electron last week.

The Humanity Star is intended to serve as a focal point for humanity, as every single person on Earth will have the opportunity to see and experience it drawing people’s eyes up and encouraging people to look past day-to-day issues and consider a bigger picture. The satellite will appear as a bright, glinting star shooting across the night sky, and is currently orbiting the Earth after being launched from New Zealand and successfully deployed to orbit on Sunday, January 21, 2018, NZDT. 

Beck said that no matter where you are in the world, or what is happening in your life, everyone will be able to see the Humanity Star in the night sky. His hope is that all those looking up at it will look past it to the vast expanse of the universe and think a little differently about their lives, actions and what is important for humanity.

For people to thrive and survive, they need to make big decisions in the context of humanity as a whole, not in the context of individuals, organizations or even nations. The Humanity Star is a way of looking beyond people's immediate situation, whatever that may be, and understanding everyone is in this together as one species, collectively responsible for innovating and solving the challenges facing us all. Everyone must come together as a species to solve the really big issues like climate change and resource shortages.

The Humanity Star is a geodesic sphere is made from carbon fiber with 65 highly reflective panels. The sphere spins rapidly, reflecting the sun’s light back to Earth, creating a bright, flashing effect that can be seen in the night sky. Orbiting the Earth every 90 minutes and visible to the naked eye from anywhere on the globe, the Humanity Star is designed to be a bright symbol and reminder to all on Earth about our fragile place in the universe.

The Humanity Star will orbit the Earth for approximately nine months before its orbit starts to decay and the satellite is pulled back into Earth’s gravity, burning the satellite on re-entry.

The Humanity Star’s location, including when it will be visible from different regions of the planet, can be tracked in real-time here.