Honoring a Sci-Fi Classic: 2001: A Space Odyssey Monoliths Flown on Blue Origin’s NS-27 Mission

A set of miniature monoliths inspired by the iconic black slabs in "2001: A Space Odyssey" has been successfully carried into space and returned onboard an uncrewed mission of Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket. A collaboration between Spacemanic, a leading satellite mission integrator, and the Croatian publisher Amaranthine Books, the monoliths embarked on their journey inside RSS Kármán Line, the rocket’s crew capsule, marking a cosmic tribute to the timeless story imagined by Arthur C. Clarke and Stanley Kubrick.

The mission launched from Blue Origin's Launch Site One in West Texas on the 23rd of October at 11:26 AM EDT (1526 GMT). The monoliths experienced several minutes of weightlessness on the mission before the crew capsule gently descended back to Earth under parachutes.

Upon return, the monoliths—measuring 1 x 4 x 9 cm—will be paired with one of only seven individually numbered copies of "2001: A Space Odyssey: The Monolith Edition." This limited-edition letterpress release of Clarke's novel has been signed by the project’s creators and features a fused-glass cover that securely holds the monolith with a hidden magnet, allowing it to be removed and displayed separately.

The monoliths were joined by 11 other payloads onboard the NS-27 mission, including two different LIDAR sensors for Blue Origin’s Lunar Permanence program and thousands of student-designed postcards for Club for the Future, Blue Origin’s STEM initiative.

The RSS Kármán Line adds to the legacy of Blue Origin’s New Shepard capsules, including RSS First Step, which has carried 43 people so far to space and back. This mission underscores the continued innovation in reusable suborbital flight, a concept presaged by Clarke and Kubrick’s vision of commercial space travel.

Through this symbolic journey, Spacemanic and Amaranthine Books have celebrated the intersection of literature, imagination, and scientific exploration, contributing to a legacy that reaches beyond Earth.

Photo credit: Blue Origin