Plan of creating an artificial moon
China is allegedly in the process of creating an artificial moon which would be unnatural but besides being unnatural, would be bright enough to replace the streetlights in the city of Chengdu by 2020, ABC News has reported.
Wu Chunfeng, chairman of Chengdu Aerospace Science and Technology Microelectronics System Research Institute Corporation which developed the project, said the illuminating satellite would provide a “sunset-like radiance”.
“The satellites’ brightness and service time are both adjustable, and the accuracy of the lighting can be controlled within tens of meters,” Chunfeng said about the project.
The illuminated satellite is said to be eight times brighter than the real moon, according to state media People’s Daily.
Chinese scientists plan to send three more mannered moons into space in the next four years, made from reflective material like a mirror and these man-made moons are expected to orbit at 500 kilometers above the Earth and light up an area with a diameter of 10 to 80 kilometers.
Chunfeng added the three feigned moons would operate alternately in order to drastically cut infrastructural electricity utilization, especially during winter.
The illuminated satellite is designed to accompany the moon at night and could also be used to light up areas experiencing power outages caused by natural disasters such as earthquakes.
China is not the first one
In 2013 three massive PC controlled mirrors were introduced over the Norwegian town of Rjukan to follow the development of the sun and reflect its beams down on the town. “Rjukan – or if nothing else, a little however essential piece of Rjukan – is never again stuck where the sun don’t sparkle,” announced the Guardian at the time.
China is not the first country to try flashing sunlight back to Earth. In the 1990s, Russian scientists reportedly used giant mirrors to reflect light from space in an experimental project called Znamya.
Expected Benefits
By reflecting light from the sun, the satellites could replace streetlamps in major cities and urban areas, saving an estimated $170 million a year in electricity costs for Chengdu, if the artificial moons illuminate an area of 80 square kilometers.
The extraterrestrial source of light could also help rescue efforts in disaster zones during blackouts and electricity shortage, he added.
Launching Details
The exact details of the satelite, the launch date and how the artificial moon would be maintained were not revealed. However, the year 2020 is almost gone but still there is no launching details are revealed from any Chinese sources.
Chunfeng supposedly said testing had started on the satellite years back and the technology had now advanced enough to consider dispatch in 2020. It isn’t certain whether the arrangement has the sponsorship of the city of Chengdu or the Chinese government.
The People’s Daily report attributed the plan to “a French craftsman, who envisioned hanging a jewelry made of mirrors over the Earth which could reflect daylight through the lanes of Paris lasting through the year”.
As China’s space programme races to catch up with that of the United States and Russia, a number of ambitious projects are in the pipeline, including the Chang’e-4 lunar probe – named after the moon goddess in Chinese mythology – which aims to launch later this year.
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Conclusion
China has not revealed any extra details about the project of artificial moon and as per the plan, the man-made moon ought to revolve around because this project was announced for the year 2020 initially and 2020 is almost gone. China might have any long-term plans associated with the project of artificial moon as we see an artificial island in south China sea where
China realized the importance of waterway. However, all speculations will remain until china discloses its future plan.