this post was submitted on 06 Nov 2025
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Controversial startup's plan to 'sell sunlight' using giant mirrors in space would be 'catastrophic' and 'horrifying,' astronomers warn (www.livescience.com)
submitted 3 days ago by themachinestops@lemmy.dbzer0.com to c/technology@lemmy.world
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https://archive.ph/3WZrp

California-based startup Reflect Orbital aims to build a swarm of 4,000 giant mirrors in low Earth orbit to "sell sunlight" to customers at night. Experts warn that the mirrors could mess with telescopes, blind stargazers and impact the environment.

Reflect Orbital, which was founded in 2021, has recently taken the first step in a scheme to sell sunlight at night by bouncing solar rays off giant "reflectors" that can redirect the vital resource almost anywhere on our planet. By doing this, the company aims to extend daylight hours in specific locations, thus allowing paying customers to generate solar power, grow crops and replace urban lighting.

But experts say it is a wildly impractical plan that should never get off the ground. What's more, the resulting light pollution could devastate ground-based astronomy, distract aircraft pilots and even blind stargazers.

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[–] Olhonestjim@lemmy.world 17 points 2 days ago (1 children)

This exact same technology naturally allows capitalists to force everyone to pay not to have their sunlight blocked during the day.

I mean, the technology certainly has benefits, not in reflecting sunlight onto the dark side of the Earth. Nobody fucking needs that. Instead it should be used to shade a few percent of sunlight in order to control Earth's warming climate.

But rich people gotta fuck things up. No single entity must ever be allowed to control orbital megastructures.

[–] PowerCrazy@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Rather then launching millions of tons of satellites, maybe the government could try regulating emissions? You know, remove cars, fossil fuel usage, create passenger rail etc? Improve society instead of doing literally the opposite?

[–] Olhonestjim@lemmy.world 1 points 22 hours ago

Oh absolutely. Regulating emissions and mass carbon capture by replanting forests, then burying them is the only way. Ain't like it would be even so easy as launching millions of shade satellites. An entire automated zero g manufacturing industry would have to be launched. And while that tickles my scifi nerd fancy, again, we can never allow a scant few humans to gatekeep space resources for themselves. That's too much wealth and power.