The Week (19 March 2026)

A company wants to launch space mirrors. All to the head-shaking chagrin of scientists.

Manipulating sunlight has raised concerns among experts about the effect of light pollution on the environment and biodiversity.

​“The beam reflected by these satellites is very intense, four times brighter than the full moon, and they will be flying multiple satellites in a formation,” John Barentine, an astronomer at the Silverado Hills Observatory and consultant at Dark Sky Consulting, told Space.com (a sister site of The Week). The brightness will “have an effect on wildlife in the directly illuminated area but also, through atmospheric scattering, on the surrounding areas.”

Read more: ​https://theweek.com/science/space-mirrors-more-daylight-environmental-concerns