An American company is planning to send sunlight from space to Earth at night. For this, satellites equipped with large mirrors will be sent into space. These mirrors will direct sunlight to specific areas of the Earth. American company Reflect Orbital has tied up with India’s Skyroot Aerospace for this work.
California’s Reflect Orbital wants to send several satellites into space. With their help, lighting can be provided at specific places at night as per requirement. According to the company, this can help search and rescue people during disasters, increase working hours in remote industrial areas and generate electricity for longer periods from solar power plants.
Skyroot’s rocket will have two launches
Reflect Orbital has signed a two-launch agreement with Skyroot Aerospace of Hyderabad. The first launch will be from Vikram-1 rocket. The second launch will be carried out by Skyroute’s new Vikram-1U rocket. In the first phase, additional boosters will be installed in Vikram-1U. This will increase the capacity of the rocket. Reflect Orbital said the agreement with Skyroot would help it launch satellites on time. The company is also planning to launch from America.
Skyroot CEO Pawan Chandana said on the social media platform Reflect Orbital CEO Ben Novak said the company is excited to work with a new launch partner for access to space.
Light will be provided in an area of five kilometers
The company plans to provide lighting in an area approximately five kilometers wide at night. Its brightness can be increased or decreased as per requirement. Lights can also be turned off when the need is met. In July, the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) allowed the company to build, launch and operate a test satellite. The company says the technology can also help illuminate important conservation sites and organize special events at public places.
Concerns about impact on wildlife and astronomy
Such an experiment has been done before. In 1993, Russian scientists sent a 65-foot mirror into space. In this experiment called enlightenment, sunlight was transmitted to the earth through a mirror. The experiment was successful, but could not be carried forward due to lack of money. Many environmental organizations have opposed Reflect Orbital’s plans. They say that bright light at night can disrupt the routines of wildlife, cause problems for astronomers studying space and can even affect human sleep. The company has said that it will work closely with scientists, local people and regulatory bodies before launching the scheme on a large scale.
