World’s First Fully Art-Painted Rocket Successfully Launched — Jacky Tsai’s Work Enters Outer Space

17th May 2025
Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center

World’s First Fully Art-Painted Rocket Successfully Launched — Jacky Tsai’s Work Enters Outer Space

(Jiuquan, China) — A rocket fully painted with original artwork by contemporary artist Jacky Tsai — the ZQ-2E Y2 (Zhuque-2 Enhanced, Flight 2) — was successfully launched into space in recent days. This marks the first time in history that an entire orbital rocket has been treated as a complete work of art and launched successfully. The artwork, themed on the Chinese legend 'Chang’e Flying to the Moon', traveled with the rocket beyond the Kármán line (100 km altitude), officially entering outer space.

The project was a collaboration between Jacky Tsai and commercial space company LandSpace. The design draws inspiration from the traditional myth of Chang’e, reimagined through bold visual language and vibrant colors. The rocket’s full body features dynamic compositions of Chang’e, the moon palace, and flying celestial beings — blending Eastern narrative with contemporary aesthetics.

Unlike past symbolic decorations or partial decals, this project represents a full-body, integrated artistic transformation of a near-50-meter launch vehicle — an unprecedented visual challenge and achievement.

To realize the vision, Tsai worked closely with engineers to apply aerospace-grade paint and advanced production methods, ensuring the artwork remained vivid and intact under extreme launch conditions.

Jacky Tsai said, “To witness my artwork launched into space on a real rocket is one of the most emotional moments of my career. Through this project, I hope to send our shared dreams and imagination truly into the cosmos.”

The ZQ-2E Y2 rocket successfully crossed the Kármán line into space. Some segments of the painted rocket body were recovered from Earth after stage separation, serving as tangible evidence of this pioneering art experiment.

This project marks a symbolic breakthrough in the integration of space exploration and visual art — the world’s first fully art-painted rocket to complete a successful launch.