An Artificial 'Saturn's Ring' of Satellites Could Soon Fill the Sky, Astronomers Warn

An artificial 'Saturn's ring' of satellites could soon fill the sky, astronomers warn

A bright "Saturn's ring" of satellites could circle the night sky if plans to launch a million data center spacecraft and tens of thousands of space mirrors come to pass. This ring, traversing the sky for hours after dusk and before dawn, would outshine every star and planet, and be visible from every spot on Earth.Hugh Lewis, a professor of astronautics at the University of Birmingham in, the U.K., told Space.com that the only way to accommodat…

Can giant space mirrors boost green energy on Earth?

Kaia Glickman in Nature: A risky plan to turn night into day is one step closer to reality. Last week, US officials approved a mission to launch a giant mirror into space, where the device will reflect sunlight onto shadowed parts of Earth. The start-up company behind the mission aims to place 50,000 mirrors in orbit by 2035, allowing for “full noon” brightness in select spots. The start-up, Reflect Orbital in Hawthorne, California, says it inte…

FCC approves giant space mirror as astronomers warn of risks to the night sky

Night may soon become something that companies can switch off, briefly and selectively, from hundreds of miles above Earth. The Federal Communications Commission approved Reflect Orbital’s plan to launch Eärendil-1, an experimental satellite carrying an 18-meter-wide reflective surface. The mirror would redirect sunlight toward a targeted area after dark, producing a beam roughly five kilometers wide. The July 9 authorization applies to one demo…