This Startup Wants to Use Space Mirrors to Light Up Earth at Night. Feds Just Said Go Ahead

[highplainsdem]

Source: Gizmodo

California startup Reflect Orbital received clearance to launch its first satellite, aiming to build a constellation to illuminate dark areas with in-space mirrors.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) granted approval for the launch of Reflect Orbital’s prototype satellite, which will test the ability to reflect sunlight down to Earth after dark. The satellite is set to launch to low Earth orbit later this year, where it is designed to deploy a 59-foot (18-meter) film reflector.

If proven successful, Reflect Orbital has plans to deploy up to 50,000 in-space mirrors mounted on satellites to create sunlight after dark. Its proposed constellation raises concerns over disrupting astronomers’ views of the cosmos.

-snip-

Why, you might ask? Well, the company wants to use its technology to illuminate disaster zones and search-and-rescue missions, extend working hours for industrial sites, boost agricultural yields and extend cycles, reduce light pollution by replacing city lights, and provide light for defense operations, according to Reflect Orbital’s website.

-snip-

Read more: https://gizmodo.com/this-startup-wants-to-use-space-mirrors-to-light-up-earth-at-night-feds-said-go-ahead-2000784980

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The FCC said concerns about astronomy are out of its jurisdiction and not a basis for denying the application.

[wcmagumba]

1. This sounds like a bad idea, unforeseen consequences and all...

[efhmc]

7. Very bad Idea. Darkness is necessary to many plants, animals and yes even humans to survive and grow.

Friends of the Night Sky can help with the facts about this hideous idea.

[yardwork]

21. It sounds like a way to make people work around the clock.

Terrible idea.

[SWBTATTReg]

2. This has been proposed for many many years (maybe not proposed but speculated to in many Sci-Fi books.

Of course, seems rather difficult to do, in real life, to (1) get the thousands of pieces of mirrors up there (or similar objects), get arranged precisely, gather the collected energies, ship it to Earth somehow for use, etc. Sounds like a lot of complicated tasks. They've done this on a far smaller scale, e.g., solar on satellites, but not on the scale like this.

Worth trying but make it scalable, so if successful, can easily add to, e.g., attach it to the space station/etc., keep adding to it over the years instead of rebuilding the whole damn thing again and again and again.

[Trueblue Texan]

35. More light pollution! Yesssss!

[Ponietz]

3. Not to mention it's principal use will probably be as a tool of war

[erronis]

8. Aryan Light Beams?

[FakeNoose]

17. They'll figure that part out later

[Ponietz]

20. Reflect Orbital receives funding from the Air Force

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/reflect-orbital-selected-for-sbir-phase-ii-contract-by-afwerx-to-advance-satellite-based-sunlight-redirection-technology-302471870.html

[Seinan Sensei]

32. I think it's principal use is a stepping stone to orbital billboards

Corporate logos floating across the night sky

[erronis]

4. No need to worry about animals (and plants) that need night to sleep, hunt, live.

We don't see them. They're not on our "radars". They don't have a vote.

Does every nation get to put its own 50,000 satellite constellation in orbit and shine down on whatever areas it wants?

This sounds so ridiculous that in must be a spoof. Or another dumb US money-making/losing venture.

[highplainsdem]

6. It's absolutely insane.

[Marie Marie]

25. There goes the circadian rhythms of most living things

We are already affected by too much artificial light. Oh well, throw it on the pile of our quest to destroy all that should be natural for the well being of us and the planet.

[Bayard]

41. This

[sdfernando]

5. Sounds somewhat innocuous but

is it possible to turn these to nefarious uses???

Ever see "Diamonds Are Forever"????

[Brenda]

9. James Bond plot Die Another Day 2002

At his ice palace in Iceland, Graves unveils a new orbital mirror satellite, Icarus, which is able to focus solar energy on a small area and provide year-round sunshine for agriculture. Frost seduces Bond, and Jinx infiltrates Graves's command centre but is captured by Graves and Zao. Bond rescues her and discovers that Graves is Colonel Moon, who has used gene therapy to change his appearance and amassed his fortune through conflict diamonds, using them as cover. Bond confronts Graves, but Frost arrives to reveal herself as the traitor who betrayed him in North Korea, forcing Bond to escape from Graves's facility. He returns in his Vanquish to rescue Jinx, who has been recaptured in the palace. As Graves uses Icarus to melt the ice palace, Zao pursues Bond into the palace using his Jaguar XKR. Bond kills Zao by shooting an ice chandelier, which falls onto him and revives a nearly drowned Jinx in a hot pool.

Tell me again how the tech bro/billionaire/crooks running our government now are NOT aliens terraforming Earth?

[Qutzupalotl]

10. Have these people never heard of LAMPS?

[electric_blue68]

11. Oh, FFS! Plants', animals' health which we do rely on in obvious, and not obvious ways!

Just stop it!!!
😑😑😑 😬

[Srkdqltr]

12. What will happen is they will spend millions over a few years. There will be a lot of planning and

R and D . Then not so much for a few years, money still flowing in. Then years of testing, more money 💰 then. ,,................... Nothing. More money 💰. Because it's a stupid idea. But MONEY 💰

[FakeNoose]

18. They're emptying the US Treasury as fast as they can

[Srkdqltr]

33. Yes they are.

[waterwatcher123]

13. This "great idea" should be reviewed through the National Evironmental Policy Act (NEPA).

It could have profound impacts on wildlife, fish and humans. Some animals and fish are nocturnal, and could be wiped out or severely impacted by this proposal. The FCC has no authority to circumvent NEPA. I am not even sure they have jurisdiction over this decision. What exactly does an agency that regulates broadcast transmissions have to do with mirrors that transmit light to dark areas of the planet?

[eppur_se_muova]

14. Geostationary high-altitude balloons would be cheaper and more servicable. They're already in fairly wide use.

&t=15s

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0094576516302119

https://bwi.earth/balloons-water-quality-monitor/ pre-order now for 2027 availability

[Snarkoleptic]

15. This is one of those "Just because you CAN do something, doesn't mean you should".

This could be devastating to nocturnal and diurnal species, with further negative impacts right down the food chain.

[Charlie Chapulin]

16. What? Could? Go? Wrong?

[GiqueCee]

19. The absolute insanity...

... of this idea burns brighter than the mirrors they propose. Proof that Trump is not content with destroying America; he wants to reduce the entire planet to ashes.

Satan, it's long past time for you to call your boy home, otherwise there'll be nothing left for you to haunt.

[truthisfreedom]

22. Sounds horrible but the math looks silly

59 square feet? or 59 ft on an edge? If it's 59 feet on an edge and there's 50,000 of them, at full efficiency (100% reflectivity) that's 174,000,000 square feet, or less than 6.5 square miles. Even fully deployed this will not illuminate a quarter of Manhattan at full sunlight. They're testing one unit. It will not be 100% efficient, nor will it even likely work. Let them play with their toys. This concept is no threat to the night sky overall, which has already been ruined by streaks from Elon's satellites zipping by the thousands. BTW, there are already about 10,700 Starlink satellites in the sky and each has a surface area of 1248 square feet, for a total of 13,353,600 square feet of reflective junk just from him alone. And it's spread out everywhere, inescapably blotting out the clear view of the sky. It drives astronomers nuts. They detest him. At least this thing would be all in one place, wrecking just one spot in the sky. No big whoop so far.

[paleotn]

27. Exactly. It's an incredibly stupid idea that will never work.

And the cost of setting up even that small area of illumination on earth, not counting the maintenance, would be unimaginable. Even with Elmo's supposedly "reusable" vehicles.

[Cheezoholic]

36. Unless they all shatter. The conceptual warning behind the movie Gravity is becoming a reality, and the universe cheers

Let the big brained ape trap themselves under their own shattered dysfunctional Dyson sphere. We will reverse launch ourselves back into the 1700's lol

[truthisfreedom]

45. It says "film mirror"

Which makes me think probably mylar balloon-type material.

[NBachers]

23. How disruptive is it when people get sent up to the Land of the Midnight Sun?

[slightlv]

24. I can't help but feel this is a very, very bad idea....

[paleotn]

26. Stupid and going nowhere.

[PatrickforB]

28. Why on God's green earth would we want to do this?

Just because you CAN definitely does not mean you SHOULD.

And, silly me, I'd rather de-fund ICE, cut the military budget significantly, and have MY tax dollars, that I pay in to my government, which is SUPPOSEDLY of, by and for the people, to be used for stuff that HELPS ME AND MY FAMILY at our kitchen table.

Healthcare.

Childcare.

Great schools.

Debt-free college.

Affordable housing.

Now here's just another way to waste money we no longer have because of decades of irresponsible tax cuts for billionaire parasites and corporations on shit we don't need, like these ridiculous mirror satellites.

WHY?????????????????????????????

[WorseDayEver]

31. Republicans LOVE the uneducated and mistreated

[Faux pas]

29. I know I don't want sunshine

24/7. It'll probably make shitty things even worse. That's just me, I'm sure all the greedy effers will profit.

[WorseDayEver]

30. Republican bullshit.. If it makes $$$ in short term is all they care about, long term unimportant

[struggle4progress]

34. I have a dream of beaming microwaves from outer space onto Mar-A-Lago

so guests can cook eggs anywhere without special cooking equipment

[Ilsa]

37. I'm not too worried. The extraterrestrials will probably

shoot them down if they become a problem.

I like living in the country in the dark.

[Attilatheblond]

38. Thinking back to when I lived in a very rurual, remote part of Montana and mercury-vapor yard lamps

Always puzzled me why almost EVERY family had huge, glaring, OBNOXIOUS mercury-vapor lamps outside their ranch houses. The damned things actually make it harder to see into the night beyond the light, making it easy to miss large animals with big teeth and claws, or humans with nefarious intent while lighting up anyone under those lights, making them easy targets.

Never could figure it out. They don't make one safer for sure. My husband, who lived among those people much longer than I had, said 'They are afraid of everything, and very afraid of the dark'. Realizing how they voted and how easily they were manipulated by GOP pols always ramping up fear of everything, I saw his point.

Whoever is pushing to turn night into full time day is probably going to appeal to such fearful people.

Gads, I am SO glad to be old and not likely to have to venture far into the future these nature hating idiots plan.

[progressoid]

39. Sure. Why not.

What could go wrong?

[LudwigPastorius]

40. Ooo!

Too hot! TOO HOT!!

[sarisataka]

42. Have they asked the rest of the Earth if they want 24 hour days

or does the FCC have final say?

I could go on for hours why this idea is stupid but the first thing I thought of is the dark side is where the planet sheds heat. Reflecting sunlight will reverse that creating a cycle of increasing heat. Rather than increased crop yields it would cook the crops in the fields. Famine would be endemic.

[patphil]

43. Lets see if we can fuck up our natural environment big time.

Arrogant assholes who just can't leave the natural order alone.
I don't see anything good coming from this. It's in the order of, "lets try this, and see what happens".

[Bobstandard]

44. Let's surround the CEOs house with searchlights, see how he likes it.

Seems fair.