The Chinese city of Chengdu is proposing an unusual alternative to streetlights, suggesting that instead, they should create an artificial moon that will be able to offer the needed light in a more natural-feeling and energy-efficient way. Specifically, according to local media reports, the idea was put forward just this month by Wu Chunfeng, the chairman of the Chengdu Aerospace Science and Technology Microelectronics System Research Institute Co. Although the details of the tech are scarce, the “illumination satellite” is theorized to provide eight times more light than the actual moon and could brighten an area of 6.2 to 50 miles wide, with its specific width being controllable within a few dozen meters.
As for how it would work, Asia Times stated that its set to use a “highly reflective coating to reflect light from the sun with solar panel-like wings whose angles can be adjusted.” This may seem like a crazy idea, however, it’s not a first, in fact, in 1999, Russian deployed a large mirror in space that was designed to function in a similar way as a part of an experiment but it was unsuccessful after it failed to unfold properly. However, with that taking place almost 20-years ago, Wu was confident that the recent advancements in technology will allow them to launch a successful mission from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in 2020.
