SUNLIGHT AT NIGHT: US STARTUP'S DEMONSTRATION OF LIGHTING EARTH FROM SPACE DRAWS CRITICISM

Summary from the TLDR newsletter

Reflect Orbital is a US-based startup that plans to erect thousands of giant mirrors in space to reflect sunlight onto the Earth during night-time. The Federal Communications Commission has approved the startup's proposal to launch an initial demonstration satellite next year. The test will reflect sunlight in 3-mile-wide beams in strengths from moonlight up to the brightness of the Sun at noon. While the technology could be helpful for search-and-rescue operations, among other applications, critics say that it threatens a harmful change to the separation of night and day, with a huge number of unresolved questions and significant potential impacts.