Spearheaded  by Rakia, The Echo project is driven by our belief in the importance of  including diverse fields like history, literature, art and more, in space  missions. Rakia has already proven its ability to realize this vision with  its art project on the Ax-1 mission, in partnership with astronaut Eytan  Stibbe. While Rakia’s first art project explored the human experience in  space, focusing on psychological, communicative and terrestrial aspects, The  Echo aims to explore the implications of human absence. This project aims to  highlight the unique nature of uncrewed space missions by sending an object  and awaiting its return, driven by curiosity and uncertainty about the  outcome. To bring this vision to life, Rakia enlisted curator Raz Samira, who  connected them with photographer Yana Rotner, known for her camera-less  photography technique — the photogram. This approach aligns with the  technical challenges, visionary ideas, and unknowns inherent to space  missions. The Exploration Company (TEC), a company developing capsules for  cargo and crew transport to the International Space Station, felt inspired by  Rakia’s previous art project and invited Rakia to send The Echo artwork into  their capsule. In their first test launch, planned for the summer of 2025,  the spacecraft is planned to remain in space for three hours before returning  to Earth. TEC shares Rakia’s belief in the arts’ vital role in expanding  humanity’s presence beyond Earth and sees this as an opportunity for a  long-term partnership; this shared vision is just the beginning. For this  mission, TEC allocated a special cargo area for The Echo on their inaugural  test flight. This comes with specific size and material constraints the  artwork must meet. In November, the artwork was transported to TEC’s Munich  facility, where the capsule is being built. In June 2025, the capsule will  move to the Florida launch site, where it will be launched into space on a  SpaceX rocket. The capsule carrying The Echo will spend three hours outside  Earth’s atmosphere before hopefully returning safely, marking a historic  milestone. While the project’s name refers to the physical phenomenon of  sound waves bouncing off surfaces to create a delayed repetition effect,  often with diminishing volume and clarity, the word “echo” carries deeper  meanings in arts and culture. The term originates from a Greek myth told in  Ovid’s epic poem Metamorphoses — about the nymph Echo, who distracted Hera to  hide Zeus’ infidelity and, as punishment, was cursed by her to only ever repeat  the words of others. In the myth, the echo phenomenon symbolizes memory and  enduring human experiences. Similarly, photography explores echoes through  visual repetition, reflections and reminiscence. Used to great effect by  photographers like Julia Margaret Cameron, this technique involves creating  images that mimic or repeat elements, creating a sense of continuity and  inviting reflection. Cameron captures the sublime timelessness of her  subjects — the essence of an echo, embodied. Artist Yana Rotner (born 1988)  also explores echoes in her work. Similar to how the image of a goddess can  personify an idea, Rotner aims to personify the idea of an echo by sending  photographic paper to visually document the voyage — into space and back  again. This paper will be exposed to the harsh environmental conditions of  outer space. The exposure to light, time and space will gradually leave its  marks on the paper, creating an imprint of the voyage and making space itself  the photographer. While photography typically captures a single moment,  Rotner extends these moments, creating time loops through long exposure. Like  an echo, her work reflects the passing of time, with the images undergoing  their own metamorphoses.