A startup company wants to light up the night with 50,000 big mirrors orbiting Earth, bouncing sunlight to the night side of the planet to power solar farms after sunset, provide lighting for rescue workers and illuminate city streets, among other things.
Scientists have questions about that.
It is an idea seemingly out of a sci-fi movie, but the company, Reflect Orbital of Hawthorne, California, could soon receive permission to launch its first prototype satellite with a 60-foot-wide mirror. The company has applied to the Federal Communications Commission, which issues the licenses needed to deploy satellites.
If the FCC approves, the test satellite could get a ride into orbit as soon as this summer. The FCC’s public comment period on the application closes Monday.
“We’re trying to build something that could replace fossil fuels and really power everything,” Ben Nowack, Reflect Orbital’s chief executive, said in an interview. The company has raised more than $28 million from investors.