[ Program Overview · September 2026 · Confidential ]
Nobody has played this before.
A Symphony Space program. “Project Rhapsody” is a working codename pending trademark clearance; the emblem is the durable asset.
[ Thesis ]
The live and unrepeatable is the last real luxury. We are building the only place it can still be made.
[ Thesis ]
The live and unrepeatable is the last real luxury. We are building the only place it can still be made.
Every medium is defined by the physics of where it is made. Broadcast was invented in a studio. Social was invented in a feed. The next one gets invented in orbit, and it hasn’t been invented yet.
Rhapsody is the first instrument for making media in orbit: a studio, not a satellite; a session, not a slot. Every work is made once, in a place with new physics, and can never be played twice.
4.6–7.5×
Symphony's subscription rates: 4.6× weighted average; 7.5× Long-Term Plan
April 2028
first works fly on a demonstrator with a secured launch slot
$60B
luxury brand & media opportunity opening 2030–2035
[ Highlights ]
Six reasons this is a studio, not a stunt.
[ Highlights ]
Six reasons this is a studio, not a stunt.
01
A new scarcity.
Infinite generation made the live moment the only thing left that can't be faked. Rhapsody sells the unrepeatable.
02
Booked orbit.
The instrument flies on a platform with a secured April 2028 launch and a Q2 2029 commercial follow-on. We are not waiting on a rocket.
03
Reconfigurable, not frozen.
Legacy production plans for years and freezes at launch. Our instrument reconfigures on orbit in weeks. Improvisation is the machine's literal behavior.
04
Premium creative engagements.
Symphony models brand and advertising capacity at roughly $30,000 per kg per month: 4.6× its weighted-average subscription rate or 7.5× its Long-Term Plan rate. Pricing scales with mass and volume; revenue books to Symphony.
05
Curation is the moat.
Invitation-only access, governed by a counsel-approved gate. Being chosen is the status, and screening protects the program's brand and partners.
06
From instrument to movement.
Launch as a studio; grow into a school, a catalogue, and a named medium once the work earns it.
[ Why Now ]
Anything can be generated. Nothing can be re-lived.
[ Why Now ]
Anything can be generated. Nothing can be re-lived.
Three shifts converged in 2026:
01
Generative abundance collapsed the value of the image. When any campaign can be prompted in seconds, the asset a house pays for is no longer the picture: it is the proof that a real thing happened, once, somewhere no one else could go.
02
Luxury ran out of altitude. Every terrestrial venue has been used: the museum steps, the desert, the runway on ice. Cultural capital now comes from founding moments, not attending them. The budget line is the pavilion, not the placement.
03
Orbit became reconfigurable. For the first time, a platform can host a creative work, swap it, and host the next, on the timeline of a season, not a decade.
You cannot prompt a session that already happened.
[ The Medium ]
Media has had two movements. We are writing the third.
[ The Medium ]
Media has had two movements. We are writing the third.
I
Broadcast
Composed.
One voice, scripted years out, Earth-bound. The masterpiece is finished before it airs.
II
Social
Algorithmic.
Many voices, still terrestrial, still ruled by the feed. Volume without permanence.
III
Space-native
Improvised.
A new instrument in a place with new physics. Live, reconfigurable, unrepeatable, un-fakeable.
This is literal, not poetic. Legacy space composes a mission over years and freezes it at launch-day technology. Our instrument reconfigures on orbit in weeks. The story and the hardware are the same story.
[ Problem ]
Space has been a stunt, never a studio.
[ Problem ]
Space has been a stunt, never a studio.
Every brand moment in orbit to date has been a one-off: a product photographed against the void, a single launch, a press cycle. No instrument. No repeatability. No rights. No medium.
The reason is structural, not creative:
Access is bespoke.
Getting anything to orbit takes 3–7 years and a dedicated mission. Creative timelines are measured in seasons.
Capacity is sold by weight.
The industry prices kilograms to engineers. Nobody prices moments to culture-makers.
Nothing comes back.
Built once, discarded. A campaign can't be swapped, iterated, or archived as a master.
The old world composes. Nobody has built the instrument to improvise.
[ Solution ]
The first instrument for orbit.
[ Solution ]
The first instrument for orbit.
Rhapsody is a luxury orbital media studio built on a reconfigurable platform. A house brings the work (a camera, a material, a digital canvas) and it drops into the instrument in weeks, not years. The studio composes the window, captures the take, authenticates the master, and returns the media rights.
The Instrument.
Standard creative envelope, plug-and-play integration, swapped on orbit by robotics. Mastery without the wait.
The Session.
Sold as a moment: the eclipse crossing, the pass over a named city at first light, the synchronized downlink. Once, and only once.
The Master.
Every take is authenticated at source. The work becomes the master, the catalogue, and the provenance record. Campaigns become on-orbit seasons.
[ The Session ]
Invited. Composed. Flown. Captured. Mastered.
[ The Session ]
Invited. Composed. Flown. Captured. Mastered.
The Invitation.
Curatorial selection. Every player passes the studio's counsel-approved gate before an invitation is extended. Access is the first luxury.
The Composition.
The house and the studio design the work and choose the window: pass, light, city, moment.
The Integration.
The work is delivered in the standard creative envelope and integrated in weeks.
The Take.
The window opens. The take happens once. It cannot be re-run, re-shot, or generated after the fact.
The Master.
Authenticated, downlinked on a segregated plane, archived. Rights are returned. The next work is swapped in.
Your session is yours alone.
[ Offer ]
Moments over mass.
[ Offer ]
Moments over mass.
The Session
What it is
A single, time-locked work in one window
Who it's for
A house making a founding statement
Pricing basis
Roughly one-month engagements; mass and volume dependent
Indicative
Approx. $30,000/kg/month capacity rate
The Residency
What it is
A seasonal anchor: recurring works across a defined run
Who it's for
A house building a series; a studio; a label
Pricing basis
Per season, capped at 40% of studio capacity
Indicative
Negotiated for scope and duration
The Master
What it is
Media rights, authenticated archive, provenance record
Who it's for
Every player, bundled or licensed
Pricing basis
Rights & licensing
Indicative
Included / licensed
Complementary offering: Studio Services
Content production and creative services for the platform’s own customers: mission storytelling, launch media, brand and communications work for sovereign, commercial, and hyperscale clients already on contract with Symphony Space. These services extend existing customer relationships and keep the program’s production capability active between sessions. Revenue books to Symphony.
Capacity pricing is an estimate, scaling with mass and volume: larger or heavier works cost more; smaller or lighter works cost less. Engagements are typically about one month and non-recurring. Long-term anchors remain capped to preserve space for individual works.
[ Opportunity ]
We are not competing for media budgets. We are competing for the founding moment.
[ Opportunity ]
We are not competing for media budgets. We are competing for the founding moment.
The luxury brand & media opportunity in orbit is sized at $60B, opening 2030–2035 as reconfigurable platforms come online. But the nearer comparison is the money luxury already spends on cultural capital: pavilions, patronage, motorsport, the gala, the monograph. That budget buys being there first. Rhapsody is the only venue where “first” is still available.
Core
Core
Luxury houses & maisons: fashion, fragrance, spirits, horology, beauty.
Adjacent
Film, music, and talent: the artists who found movements.
Frontier
Institutions & collectors: museums, biennales, foundations commissioning the first works of a medium.
[ The First Generation ]
We are not looking for customers. We are looking for the first generation.
[ The First Generation ]
We are not looking for customers. We are looking for the first generation.
The houses, artists, and studios who would rather found a medium than buy a billboard, and who understand that a place in an origin story outlasts any campaign.
Verticals in development
Founding voices
Where we can, we commission the artists who carry the lineage of improvisation as founding voices of the first works. Homage paid, not just spoken.
Access is curated. Being chosen is the status.
[ Economics ]
Creative engagements. Symphony revenue.
[ Economics ]
Creative engagements. Symphony revenue.
$30K
estimated capacity rate per kg per month
4.6–7.5×
Symphony subscription rates: 4.6× weighted average; 7.5× Long-Term Plan
$58.3M
modeled 2029 brand and advertising revenue, booked to Symphony
Rhapsody is a Symphony Space program. Brand and advertising revenue books directly to Symphony; the program does not buy capacity from Symphony or operate a standalone revenue model. Capacity is priced at approximately $30,000 per kg per month, typically as one-month, non-recurring engagements.
The $360,000 per kg per year equivalent is a rate comparison, not an annual recurring contract. Estimates depend on both mass and volume: larger or heavier works cost more; smaller or lighter works cost less.
2028 · Commercial target
Pursuing $1M–$4M in total contracted value for two founding demonstrator works. This is a target, not secured contracts or modeled revenue. Symphony models $1.075M in licensing and consulting revenue in 2028, with no brand and advertising revenue that year.
2029 · Modeled revenue
$58.3M of brand and advertising revenue, using 15% of subscription-platform capacity at 90% booked. Revenue books to Symphony Space.
2034 · Capacity allocation
Brand and advertising capacity share ramps to 28% in Symphony's model. This allocation is distinct from the 40% cap on long-term studio anchors.
Studio Services
Creative services for Symphony's existing customers are delivered within the program; all associated revenue books to Symphony.
Model snapshot and capacity share (15% → 28%) in Appendix A. Pricing assumptions and rate-card comparisons in Appendix B.
[ Landscape ]
Nobody else has the venue, the instrument, and the gate.
[ Landscape ]
Nobody else has the venue, the instrument, and the gate.
Who a house chooses between
Terrestrial spectacle.
The gala, the pavilion, the desert runway. Proven, crowded, repeatable. Every rival has done it.
Space stunts.
One-off launches and product shots. Novelty without a medium: no rights, no series, no second act.
Hosted-payload operators.
Sell kilograms to engineers. No creative envelope, no curation, no media practice.
Rhapsody’s moat
- 01Booked orbit on a reconfigurable platform: the only one that swaps on orbit.
- 02A creative standard that integrates in weeks.
- 03Curatorial selection as the gate: scarcity by design.
- 04Provenance: the authenticated master as the asset.
[ Platform ]
The orbit is booked. The instrument is real.
[ Platform ]
The orbit is booked. The instrument is real.
The studio is a Symphony Space program operating on Symphony’s platforms. Symphony is building reconfigurable, serviceable platforms, with a secured launch slot and signed demand from sovereign, commercial, and hyperscale customers before first flight. Rhapsody develops creative engagements on those platforms; all program revenue books to Symphony Space.
Q3 2026
Platform demonstrator PDR
Feb 2027
Flat-sat integration begins
April 2028
Demonstrator launch, Cape Canaveral · first two Rhapsody works fly
Q2 2029
First full-scale commercial platform launch
Q3 2029
Revenue service entry · Residencies open
Every customer Symphony signs is a potential Rhapsody creative-services lead: mission storytelling, launch media, communications. The program can support Symphony’s customer relationships before the first work flies.
Rhapsody is not a separate legal entity and does not issue equity or raise capital independently. Its program budget is funded from Symphony’s Seed; brand and advertising revenue begins in Symphony’s model in 2029.
[ Governance ]
Separate by design. That is the point.
[ Governance ]
Separate by design. That is the point.
Rhapsody’s governance is built around brand and data separation within Symphony Space. Creative work has a distinct identity and segregated data plane; this is an operational framework, not a claim of legal separation.
- 01
Separate brand, segregated data plane.
A distinct creative identity within Symphony Space, with separation of program data from other platform operations. Brand and data separation, not a separate legal entity.
- 02
Segregated data plane.
Every work runs on physically and cryptographically separate networks. Client translation: your session is yours alone.
- 03
The curatorial gate.
Every player passes counsel-approved screening before invitation. Selection is the screen.
- 04
Capacity cap.
Anchors limited to 40% of studio capacity: the margin lives in the unrepeatable.
- 05
Language discipline.
The creative offer speaks in sessions, works, windows, and moments. Pricing and financial disclosures state the mass, volume, and model assumptions explicitly.
Clear boundaries protect the work.
[ Traction ]
The studio opens in October. The first works fly in 2028.
[ Traction ]
The studio opens in October. The first works fly in 2028.
The Launch.
Studio launch announcement, October 5, 2026, New York, Advertising Week. Art Basel Miami VIP days follow in December. Objective: two founding works confirmed for the 2028 demonstrator.
The Pipeline.
Conversations open across fragrance, apparel, spirits, and talent. Named houses under NDA to follow as available.
The Foundation.
Brand operating system complete. Identity system production-ready. Name in trademark knockout (classes 35/38/41). Governance framework adopted.
[ Roadmap ]
From an instrument to a movement.
[ Roadmap ]
From an instrument to a movement.
Now
The Instrument (2026–2028).
Open the studio. Clear the name. Invite the first generation. Fly the first two works on the demonstrator.
Next
First Light (2028–2029).
Deliver the first masters. Open Residencies on the commercial platform. Track program performance within Symphony's financials, with modeled brand and advertising revenue starting in 2029.
Then
The Movement (2029+).
The studio becomes a school; the catalogue becomes a canon; the brand becomes a named medium. Origin, never nationalism.
We launch grounded and hardware-true, and grow into something larger only once the work earns it.
[ Team & Partners ]
Symphony's team. Specialist partners. One creative program.
[ Team & Partners ]
Symphony’s team. Specialist partners. One creative program.
Merry Walker
Co-Founder & CEO, Symphony Space
Former White House International S&T Lead; national security and IC background; 2× patent-holding engineer; built a 70-person incubator across four continents; relationships across 60+ governments.
Anna Shaposhnik
Founder & CEO, ORBES (Techstars '25) · Symphony's Orbital Capture & Video Partner
ORBES is Symphony's orbital capture and video partner. Anna is a space robotics founder building ORB, an autonomous free-flying camera. USC creative technologist; has filmed in zero gravity and for the IMAX giant screen.
Nicole Marzan & Kate Nelson
The Concrete Group · Public Relations for Symphony Space
Nicole and Kate handle public relations for Symphony, including launch communications and press for the Rhapsody program. Nicole is Founder & CEO of The Concrete Group.
Marcus Glover
Managing Partner, Obsidian Capital Partners · Capital & International
International markets and deep tech; advisor to Symphony Space.
Paul Estevez
President & Co-Founder, Intellectual Asset Management; Partner, Obsidian Capital Partners; Co-Founder, IPX; Advisor, Symphony Space
Cross-sector operator across fintech, IP, media ad tech, music, fashion, and film. Authored the Rhapsody branding and brand operating system.
Advisory bench
National security · Commercial space · Civil space · International markets, via Symphony’s advisory board.
[ The Plan ]
What $1M builds.
[ The Plan ]
What $1M builds.
Program budget · Funded from Symphony Space’s Seed
A $1M program budget to open the studio and prepare the first two works. We are pursuing $1M–$4M in total contracted value for two founding works on the 2028 demonstrator: a commercial target, not secured contracts or modeled 2028 revenue.
Symphony’s current model includes $1.075M of licensing and consulting revenue in 2028 and no brand and advertising revenue until 2029. Rhapsody does not raise independently or issue equity; all program revenue books to Symphony.
Use of funds
| Founding team · 18 months | $400K | 40%: Founding Director, producer, curatorial lead |
| Studio launch & first-generation acquisition | $250K | 25%: October 5 New York, Art Basel Miami, founding-voice commissions |
| Creative envelope & integration | $150K | 15%: the standard instrument kit for the first two works |
| Program governance, trademark & rights | $120K | 12%: clearance in classes 35/38/41, media-rights architecture, counsel gate |
| Reserve | $80K | 8% |
Founding team · 18 months
$400K
40%: Founding Director, producer, curatorial lead
Studio launch & first-generation acquisition
$250K
25%: October 5 New York, Art Basel Miami, founding-voice commissions
Creative envelope & integration
$150K
15%: the standard instrument kit for the first two works
Program governance, trademark & rights
$120K
12%: clearance in classes 35/38/41, media-rights architecture, counsel gate
Reserve
$80K
8%
Planned program milestones
Oct 2026
Studio launched, New York
Q1 2027
Name cleared; program governance in place; Founding Director in seat
Q2 2027
Target: contract two founding works for the demonstrator
Apr 2028
First works fly
Every dollar maps to a milestone on the path to first light.
Improvised on Earth for a century. Now it leaves the planet.
Project Rhapsody · Orbital Media Studio
Merry Walker · merry@symphony-space.com · New York · Orbit
[ Appendix ]
The record.
A · Financial model snapshot, 2028–2034
Brand and advertising revenue is modeled within Symphony Space. Rhapsody has no standalone revenue model; all program revenue books to Symphony.
- 2028
- $1.075M of total revenue from licensing and consulting. No brand and advertising revenue in the current model.
- 2028 target
- $1M–$4M in total contracted value sought for two founding demonstrator works. A commercial target, not secured contracts or modeled 2028 revenue.
- 2029
- $58.3M of brand and advertising revenue, on 15% of subscription-platform capacity at 90% booked.
- 2034
- Brand and advertising capacity allocation reaches 28%.
Source: Symphony financial-model figures confirmed by Merry Walker, September 2026. Intermediate annual figures and a 2034 revenue amount are not presented in this overview.
B · Pricing basis
Brand and advertising capacity is estimated at $30,000 per kg per month, typically booked as roughly one-month, non-recurring engagements. The annualized equivalent is $360,000 per kg per year, not a recurring revenue commitment.
- Weighted-average subscription rate
- Brand and advertising pricing is 4.6× Symphony's weighted-average subscription rate.
- Long-Term Plan rate
- Brand and advertising pricing is 7.5× Symphony's Long-Term Plan rate.
- Mass and volume
- Rates are rough estimates. Larger or heavier works cost more; smaller or lighter works cost less. Final pricing depends on both mass and volume.
Comparisons use Symphony’s own rate card, not an external commodity-capacity benchmark.
C · Trademark status
- Class coverage
- 35 / 38 / 41
- Status
- In knockout search as of September 2026. Project Rhapsody remains a working codename pending clearance.
- Counsel review
- Final name clearance and the shortlist remain subject to trademark counsel's review.
D · Governance detail
Program structure. Rhapsody operates within Symphony Space. It is not a separate legal entity, cannot grant equity or raise independently, and books revenue to Symphony.
Brand and data separation. The governance framework specifies a distinct creative brand and physically and cryptographically segregated program networks. These are operational boundaries, not a legal firewall.
Screening. Session and Studio Services participants pass counsel-approved screening before invitation or engagement.
Capacity discipline. Long-term anchors are capped at 40% of studio capacity. This program constraint is distinct from the financial model’s brand and advertising allocation of 15% of subscription-platform capacity in 2029, rising to 28% in 2034.
E · Risk register
- 01
Program structure and funding
Rhapsody is a Symphony Space program, not a separate legal entity. It does not issue equity or raise independently. The $1M plan is a program budget funded from Symphony's Seed, and revenue books to Symphony.
- 02
Targets and modeled revenue
The $1M–$4M target for two founding demonstrator works is not secured contracted value or modeled 2028 revenue. The current model starts brand and advertising revenue in 2029; commercial targets remain subject to contracting and delivery.
- 03
Creative leadership
The program budget includes a Founding Director, producer, and curatorial lead. These are planned program roles, not current officers of a separate Rhapsody entity.
- 04
Capture partnership
ORBES is Symphony's orbital capture and video partner. Anna Shaposhnik is Founder & CEO of ORBES, not a Rhapsody co-founder.
- 05
First claims
Products have been photographed in orbit before. The program's positioning concerns the studio, instrument, and creative medium, not a claim of the first media made in space.
- 06
Public perception
Nothing is projected at Earth. Work is made in orbit and shown on Earth: media rights and creative production, not sky billboards.
- 07
Brand and data separation
Rhapsody maintains a distinct creative identity and segregated data plane within Symphony. This governance framework does not constitute legal-entity separation.
- 08
Pipeline maturity
Verticals in development and planned founding works are not signed contracts. Pipeline progress must be distinguished from confirmed commercial commitments.
- 09
Working codename
Project Rhapsody remains a working codename pending trademark clearance. The emblem provides continuity if the name changes.
- 10
Platform diligence
Platform engineering and financial diligence belong with Symphony Space. The program overview complements Symphony's Seed materials.
- 11
Studio Services screening
Studio Services engagements pass the same counsel-approved screening as Sessions. Defense and government work is delivered unbranded or under a services mark, not under the Rhapsody name. Services must not displace the program's core creative work.