For the first time, a rainbow flag that symbolises gay pride was sent into space via a high-altitude balloon.
The flag was launched by Planting Peace, a US-based non-profit group that seeks to “spread peace in a hurting world”, near Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on 17 August.
The balloon captured video with a GoPro camera as it floated 21.1 miles (34.1km) above earth for three hours.
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Organisers said they wanted to declare space gay friendly, “in a peaceful, beautiful way”.
After capturing the striking footage that shows the planet’s surface from above, with the sun beaming behind the flag, the balloon and its flag returned to earth.
“The primary purpose of this declaration is to support the ongoing fight for the fundamental human rights of our LGBTQ [Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Queer] family, moving us closer to a universal understanding that all people deserve to live freely and love freely without fear and discrimination,” the non-profit group said.
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It added that the purpose of the stunt was to stress the need for the gay community to have a safe space in every corner of the universe.
The non-profit organisation recently made headlines during the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, with a billboard showed US presidential candidate Donald Trump and then-aspiring Republican nominee Ted Cruz poised to kiss, with the slogan “Love trumps Hate. End homophobia”.
