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From: Titus G <noone@nowhere.com>
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written
Subject: Re: OT: Surely there's an SF story with this.....
Date: Fri, 30 Aug 2024 18:05:24 +1200
Organization: A noiseless patient Spider
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On 30/08/24 06:07, Cryptoengineer wrote:
> Reflect Orbital
> 
> https://www.reflectorbital.com/lighting
> 
> is proposing to launch a fleet of orbital mirrors to provide lighting
> to nighttime locations on the Earth.
> 
> They claim they will be able to light up a 5km diameter circle for
> 4 minutes. They're accepting reservations, but I can't find any
> pricing. They expect to start in Q4 2025.
> 
> I'm *extremely* skeptical. To be even as bright as moonlight,
> the mirror would have to appear 1/7 the area of the Moon in
> the sky.
> 
> I can't think of a use case for 4 minutes of light, but they
> also talk about using it to power up solar panel systems at
> night, which makes no sense.
> 
> I think its either an art project, or some kind of scam to
> fleece investors who are bad at math.
> 
> Still, very stfnal.
> 
> pt

I found the website fascinating including the interesting backgrounds of
the principals. (Keep us informed if you learn more, please.)
The SF story I am reminded of is of a far smaller scale about the
unfortunate soccer referee choosing principle to the game over loyalty
to the crowd but I can't remember the title nor author.