Female-owned Space Company 4SPACE Takes Jeff Koons to the Moon | Media.com

Los Angeles

The world’s first female-owned space company, 4SPACE, will launch the only art gallery in outer space when it sends a new Jeff Koons artwork to the Moon on 14 February.&nbsp;The project – caried by NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLIPS) and landed on the Moon by Intuitive Machines’ landing module – will be the first extra-terrestrial art exhibition conducted by human beings and will focus on a collection of 125 specially-created Jeff Koons Moon Phase statues, said 4SPACE CEO and founder, Ms Chantelle Baier.&nbsp;“I established 4SPACE in 2017 to integrate non-traditional space companies into the space industry,” said Ms Baier, who was educated in both science and design disciplines. “4SPACE’s initiative to install Jeff Koons’ artwork on the Moon signifies a fuller expression of humanity’s endeavors, which includes art and media alongside science and engineering.”&nbsp;On February 9 the Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C lunar lander will launch from Orlando, Fl. on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Eight days after take-off, the lander will descend to the Moon’s surface with a polycarbonate box attached to its exterior, which contains the 125 Moon Phase statues created by Jeff Koons.&nbsp;Ms Baier said the polycarbonate box had been designed by engineers – inspired by the International Space Station Cupula – to withstand the Moon’s environment and it would remain in its position at the lunar South Pole forever, protected by the Artemis Accords which gives ‘historic site’ status around a landing zone.&nbsp;“We all accept the idea that space travel is powered by human science and engineering, but humans also express themselves with art, design, media and entertainment,” she said. “We will now have an art gallery on the Moon, exhibiting Jeff Koons’ work, in perpetuity. Humans rely on technology, but we also define ourselves by aesthetics. It’s important that different sides of humanity are expressed in space.”&nbsp;The Jeff Koons Moon Phase statues are each 1-inch in diameter and will adorn the Moon’s surface, while a set of 15-inch replicas will be auctioned on Earth to commemorate the Moon landing. 4SPACE will also market an NFT photograph of the Jeff Koons Moon-phase statutes in their new home on the Moon.&nbsp;Jeff Koons, one of the world’s most defining contemporary artists of the 21st century was inspired to create the first authorized art gallery connecting humanity tothe Moon.&nbsp;“Our achievements in space represent the limitless potential of humanity. Space explorations have given us a perspective of our ability to transcend worldly constraints. I also want to auction one Moon sculpture prior to launch so that an art collector will be able to witness with me the natural awe and anxiety of America’s first attempt to return to the Moon since NASA’s Apollo17 Mission in 1972,” said Mr Koons.&nbsp;&nbsp;Chantelle Baier formed the world’s first female-owned space company, 4SPACE, in 2017 and in February 2021 entered into a collaboration with Intuitive Machines, a then privately held company in its development phase. The partnership’s goal was to establish the first authorized art gallery on the Moon and has attracted significant private investors to achieve that goal.&nbsp;Ms Baier said 4SPACE was pioneering developmental strategies in space exploration, which included non-traditional players such as women, artists and even consumer brands. She said as 4SPACE embarked on its inaugural lunar mission she wanted the company to focus on making the ‘impossible’, possible.&nbsp;“I was raised on a farm in Saskatchewan, with limited access to modern comforts. I was inspired by my mother’s questioning of NASA’s expenditure on space programs over families in need, and this perspective has profoundly influenced my approach to the space industry, helping me focus on balancing technological advancement with humanitarian efforts. Our company culture emphasises Science, Sustainability, Philanthropy, Education, and Nurturing Hope for future generations.”&nbsp;The current mission prioritizes green energy, it piggybacks on an existing NASA-funded mission, and creates opportunities for charity fundraising, notably the Jeff Koons Moon Phases auctions will contribute to Doctors Without Borders and amfAR, an AIDS research foundation.&nbsp;In line with these values, 4SPACE has collaborated with Media.com, to share Chantelle's remarkable space achievements by featuring Chantelle Baier as Profile No.1 on the Media.com network. Artist credit: Jeff Koons Credit for cube: 4SPACE Photo credit: Chris Farina