California company wants to 'banish the night' with mirrors in space: 'It goes against every...'

A California-based startup has plans to change night into day by placing huge mirrors in space. Aptly named Reflect Orbital, the company thinks it can launch thousands of satellites with reflective panels that can redirect sunlight towards the night side of Earth. The owners have pitched several benefits of their plan that go against Mother Nature. For starters, the solar light can help power solar panels, help with rescue and other operations and help treat seasonal depression that comes with a lack of sunlight. It wants to start work by next year and has approached the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for a license, Smithsonian magazine reported.

However, astronomers are not happy with this idea, as it goes against the natural order of things. They say the sun should when it's supposed to, and humans shouldn't be able to control such a powerful force. The first problem with these massive reflective satellites is that they will be brighter than the moon, blocking out the view of on-ground telescopes, making it harder to observe cosmic bodies, and making astronomy work harder. Also, forcefully turning night into day will also mess with the human body, which depends on this day-night cycle for rest. The dark is the body's cue to go to sleep. When it won't happen, many things could go wrong with the human body.

James Lowenthal, an astronomer at Smith College, told Smithsonian magazine, "It goes against every fibre of my existence to imagine that we could intentionally banish the night." The mirrors will be made up of Mylar, which will add to the reflectivity. They are proposed to be square-shaped and will be about 33 feet to 180 feet across. The first satellite with a 60-foot mirror, called Earendil-1, is scheduled to be launched in April 2026. It will be a prototype and will be followed by many more such satellites. Reflect Orbital plans to place 4,000 satellites in orbit by 2030.

The satellites will be in low orbit and move quickly, lighting up an area only for a small amount of time. This is why several of them will be needed to make the plan a success. The idea of space mirrors is not new. In 1923, German rocket pioneer Hermann Oberth proposed it in his thesis. Later, other scientists also talked about it to help with solar power. In 1993, a Russian satellite known as Znamya 2 with an 80-foot mirror was launched to extend daylight hours in Arctic Siberia, but it was later de-orbited.