Sunlight on demand? US approves plans to build 60-foot mirror in space

The United States has approved plans for what could become one of the most unusual space projects ever attempted — a satellite carrying a giant mirror designed to reflect sunlight back to Earth after dark.The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has granted California-based start-up Reflect Orbital permission to launch its first demonstration satellite, called Eärendil-1, into low Earth orbit later this year. If successful, the company hopes the technology could extend daylight for solar farms, provide emergency lighting during disasters and even illuminate construction sites and city streets at night.What is the plan?Reflect Orbital's prototype satellite, roughly the size of a dormitory refrigerator, will deploy a square mirror measuring nearly 60 feet (around 18 metres) across once it reaches an altitude of about 400 miles (640 kilometres).The mirror is designed to redirect sunlight onto a circular area roughly three miles (five kilometres) wide on Earth's surface.