Today, it was announced that Jeff Koons will launch an NFT project in a way that truly embodies the cryptographic spirit: his work literally goes to the moon. Koons made a series of corresponding sculptures (NFTs) that will land on the moon. While many works of art have been sent into space, this is the first one approved to land on the surface of the moon. The intention is for the sculptures to remain there forever. The project is titled Phases of the Moon.
“I wanted to create a historically meaningful NFT project rooted in humanistic and philosophical thought,” Koons said in a press release. “Our achievements in space represent the limitless potential of humanity. Space explorations have given us a perspective of our ability to transcend worldly constraints. These ideas are central to my NFT project, which can be understood as a continuation and celebration of humanity's aspirational accomplishments within and beyond our own planet.”
The designs for the sculptures have not yet been released, but the plan is for these works to arrive on the Moon in July. The Moon Phases sculptures will land at Oceanus Procellarum after being launched from block 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in a fully automated mission orchestrated by private aerospace company Intuitive Machines. The project was started when members of the Intuitive Machines team approached Koons' team about the possibility of putting their work on the moon in November. “We got excited really fast,” said Marc Glimcher, President and CEO of Pace Gallery. “The rocket is already on the pad. In fact it was actually supposed to launch in March.” Glimcher described the launch as preparation for a special mission that Intuitive Origins is planning for 2024: the first manned launch to the moon since the 1970s, which will supposedly usher in an era of mining and manufacturing on the moon. But in the meantime, for this relatively minor project, Intuitive Origins is receiving assistance from two spin-off companies, one of which is 4Space. 4Space calls itself a "female-owned space company" that aspires to "advance the sustainability of human life by creating the first self-sustaining multi-industry economy in space." 4Space is also an official channel partner of Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos' aerospace company, which launched Amoako Boafo's paintings into space in August last year. Another spin-off company, NFMoon, will generate NFTs themselves. NASA is also supporting the project. Moon Phase NFTs will be available through Pace Verso, Pace Gallery's NFT platform. The land where the sculptures will be displayed will be designated as the first Lunar Landing Heritage Site.
