Reflect Orbital wants 50,000 mirror satellites to send sunlight to Earth after dark for a fee. Astronomers warn of a brighter night sky above homes and businesses.
A startup called Reflect Orbital wants to launch 50,000 satellites fitted with giant mirrors. The mirrors would bounce sunlight down to chosen spots on Earth after dark. Customers would pay for it. The headline price is $5,000 an hour.
The idea is simple to state. Satellites in orbit catch sunlight and redirect it to a patch of ground at night. Fast Company describes the result as ultra-powerful beams of redirected sunlight. In effect, sunlight becomes a service you rent by the hour.
Astronomers are not impressed. Fast Company reports they say almost everything could go wrong. One astrophysicist compared the plan to "a bullet in your head." The material does not spell out every threat they cite, but the core worry is a night sky filled with bright, human-made objects.
If the plan goes ahead, the night sky above your home and business could get brighter. Sunlight could also become something people pay for, rather than something that simply arrives with the morning.
The material does not say when launches could begin, how much the full system would cost, or what approvals the company needs. It also does not explain how the $5,000 hourly price would apply to different customers or areas. Those details will decide whether this stays an idea or becomes a real product.
Reflect Orbital's 50,000 mirror satellites are only a plan so far, but the $5,000 an hour price and the astronomers' warnings are worth watching.
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