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Local, state-owned newspapers in Chengdu, China announced a plan to launch an artificial moon above the city in 2020. The satellite would reflect sunlight to an area between 10 and 80 kilometers in diameter, and shine 8 times brighter than Earth's own moon. The plan is to at least partially replace street lights with artificial moonlight, which could save a substantial amount of electricity and provide illumination during blackouts. China is trying to bring their space program up to par with the U.S. and Russia, and this is definitely a step in that direction.
The paper added that testing the illumination satellite started years ago and all the technology and design had been finalized. The man-made moon has a highly reflective coating to reflect light from the sun with solar panel-like wings whose angles can be adjusted to realize “precise lighting.” The 14,300-square-meter city of Chengdu would be the primal focus of the light from the man-made moon, and astronomers throughout China and overseas should be able to spot the glowing star at night. But no further specifications of the spacecraft, or its launch date, were available. Chengdu officials expect the city to reel in more tourists when the artificial moon is up and shining.
The paper added that testing the illumination satellite started years ago and all the technology and design had been finalized. The man-made moon has a highly reflective coating to reflect light from the sun with solar panel-like wings whose angles can be adjusted to realize “precise lighting.” The 14,300-square-meter city of Chengdu would be the primal focus of the light from the man-made moon, and astronomers throughout China and overseas should be able to spot the glowing star at night. But no further specifications of the spacecraft, or its launch date, were available. Chengdu officials expect the city to reel in more tourists when the artificial moon is up and shining.