My computer is stuck in a semi-permanent split screen. The left window, at the moment, shows the words you’re reading now as I type them onto the page. The right features, as it has for the past week, four astronauts floating around in microgravity: a live scene from a spacecraft hundreds of thousands of miles away.
NASA’s Artemis II mission launched on April 1, sending four astronauts around the moon for the first time since 1972. Since then, space fever has taken over my social media feeds, my conversations and my daily stream of consciousness. I’m far from alone in my fascination; at the time of writing, I join 81,000 other spectators on NASA’s official in-craft livestream, watching intently as the crew goes about their day.
The attention this mission has generated is a marketing department’s dream; the launch alone drew 10 million viewers worldwide, and the aforementioned live broadcast boasts tens of thousands of followers at any given time. For any brand lucky enough to be associated with the endeavor, the visibility is staggering — and largely unforced. With little room for non-practical items or activities, every addition to the spaceship and the schedule serves a purpose, whether it’s capturing history or inspiring the next generation to make it themselves.
Capturing the Moment
A major highlight of every space mission is the imagery captured across each stage of the journey. From TikTok edits of the astronauts in pre-departure footage to the photos crew members capture as they approach moons and planets thousands of miles away from home, visuals are a key part of the experience.
For that reason, GoPro’s role in supplying cameras for Artemis II has placed it in a league few of its competitors will ever reach. In addition to the specialized models built onto the craft’s external solar array, each crew member is also outfitted with their own GoPro camera to document their daily life.
Taking advantage of the moment, the company’s founder and CEO, Nicholas Woodman, asserted that high stakes situations like space travel are exactly what his product is made for.
“GoPros are designed to capture amazing perspectives in the most extreme conditions imaginable…and it doesn’t get much more extreme than going to the Moon and back,” he stated in an official release.
Though most of GoPro’s target audience probably doesn’t have a lunar expedition planned anytime soon, the fact that the company was tapped to help astronauts document the mission reinforces its positioning as a top-tier action camera. The ultimate proof of quality is playing out in front of consumers’ eyes right now, and reminders of GoPro’s capability will be immortalized in NASA-branded images and videos for years to come.
A Parallel Premiere
The gear is only part of the story. What draws people to follow Artemis is the bravery that her crew exhibits. The idea that four people would willingly leave the comfort of Earth in the name of research is compelling, even to those not scientifically inclined.
Those themes of space travel and selflessness are echoed in recently released sci-fi blockbuster “Project Hail Mary.” The film enjoyed a formal partnership with NASA during production, with communications personnel, astrobiologists and astrophysicists serving as on-set consultants and earning acknowledgements in the credits.
Will Boyington, associate administrator for the Office of Communications at NASA Headquarters, put the partnership’s purpose plainly:
“Space exploration captures the public’s imagination, and collaboration between science and storytelling brings that sense of discovery to a wider audience. Inspiring the next generation, whether through rocket launches or sci-fi movies, helps build the talent and support that underpin American leadership in space,” he said.
The crossover between science fiction and reality didn’t wrap up with filming. While the Artemis astronauts quarantined in preparation for launch day, they were sent a link to view the film at home with their families before its official release, leading to a mid-mission movie review where Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen sang the film’s praises:
“I thought it was just such an inspirational example — somebody who goes out there and just gets what was done to save humanity. It’s a pretty extraordinary example that we can all follow,” he said.
Later in the journey, mission control joined in on the fun, with staff at the Johnson Space Center quoting the film as the crew broke Apollo 13’s record for the farthest distance humans have ever traveled from Earth.
For viewers glued to the Artemis coverage and hungry for more, “Project Hail Mary” is in theaters now — astronaut-endorsed, NASA-approved, and timed perfectly to meet the moment. As you can probably guess, my ticket is booked.
The Artemis II mission has certainly influenced me to feel positively about certain brands, but I haven’t once felt advertised to. Though I’m aware I owe cinematic shots and video coverage to GoPro cameras, that knowledge registers as part of the experience rather than a commercial intrusion. I’m also a movie ticket away from watching a film NASA helped bring to life, but that feels like an invitation, not an ad. When it comes to brands capitalizing off cultural moments, it seems that relevance is the difference between inspiration and interruption.
