Orbital Reflector: the artist firing a satellite into space

Trevor Paglen's giant artwork was designed purely to be gazed at - from anywhere on the planet

Satellites are usually designed either to look back at Earth or look out into the universe. What if, wondered the American-born, Berlin-based artist Trevor Paglen, there was a satellite whose sole purpose was to be looked at itself?

At 10.32am on Wednesday, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to blast off from Vandenberg air force base, north of Santa Barbara, California, carrying Paglen's Orbital Reflector, a kinetic sculpture in the form of a satellite that - all being well - will orbit the Earth for a couple of months before burning up as it re-enters the atmosphere.