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 16 hours ago by themachinestops@lemmy.dbzer0.com to c/technology@lemmy.world
98 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

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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[–] TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world 18 points 15 hours ago (2 children)

Its also just fucking stupid.

You have two options:

One build an insanely, comically expensive series of mirrors to move solar energy to solar panels so you can power them at night...

OR...

Install twice as many solar panels on the ground. OR the same amount and battery storage, or any combination thereof.

[–] CookieOfFortune@lemmy.world 1 points 14 hours ago (2 children)

Would be cheaper just to launch the solar panels.

[–] TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world 6 points 14 hours ago

Even cheaper to just launch the billionaire funders as payload.

[–] Korkki@lemmy.ml 2 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

Then you need method of power transmission, usually microwaves or lasers, both come with energy losses. With microwaves you need a reliever and those can get about the size of a solar farm.

[–] CookieOfFortune@lemmy.world 1 points 12 hours ago

I’m just saying it’s more feasible than mirrors. Not that it’s actually feasible.

[–] Manjushri@piefed.social 1 points 14 hours ago

Come on. Convincing people they need something and then selling it to them is what capitalism is all about. It doesn't matter how stupid the idea is, if you convince people to pay for it then by their standard, it's a good idea.