00:00The US has just approved the launch of a giant space mirror to control and monetise the sun's
00:05light. What could possibly go wrong? A lot. Reflect Orbital is set to launch one test
00:10satellite this year to beam sunlight onto patches of Earth on demand. If it works,
00:14the founders want to launch 50,000 by 2035. The pitch is that we're squandering the sun's
00:20potential to replace artificial lighting. Proposed uses range from agriculture to providing extra
00:26light for search and rescue missions and defence operations. The mirrors could even replace street
00:31lights and extend industrial working hours. But do we really want to replace street lights by
00:36blasting the city with constant daylight? Let's look at their biggest sell, solar power. Reflect Orbital
00:42estimates that a full-sized constellation, though it doesn't specify how many satellites that actually
00:47is, should more than double the world's solar output. It's appealing, but is that possibility
00:51worth adding tens of thousands of satellites to our already crowded orbit, locking out the stars and
00:57disrupting the circadian rhythms of people and wildlife across the globe. The company does emphasise
01:02that it will be able to turn off or dim the sunlight on demand, but one study showed that if
01:06they achieve
01:07their goal of 50,000 mirrors, the sky will be three to four times brighter. Experts are also expressing
01:13concerns about the mirrors damaging sensitive equipment, disrupting pilots' vision and causing permanent eye
01:19damage in telescope users. We still don't understand all the potential effects from the company's
01:23technology, but Flight Orbital told me they were commissioning third-party research. But the lack
01:28of safety guarantees makes me think nothing good can come from trying to control the sun.
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