KEO will leave from planet Earth in 2013/2014. Once in orbit, KEO'S wings will take life, fluttering in rhythm to its passage under the Earth's shadow and the sun's ray, similar to that of a beautiful migratory bird gliding across the horizon. KEO will then pursue its 50,000 year journey around the Earth, guarded from the hostile environment in space by several protective shields. At the dawn of its return to Earth, KEO will create an artificial Aurora Borealis whose luminosity and glow will light up the sky, announcing its grand arrival home.