Post #3714506
2026-07-10 10:17 UTC
This is all beta = production; there is no testing environment. Our planet is their sandpit. No international consultation, no discussion with indigenous peoples.
In the what-could-possibly-go-wrong basket is the reflector getting 'stuck' due to a comms issue or mechanical failure, turning one of these mirrors into a giant finger of light 4.8km wide dragged over our planet every ~128 minutes (the period of low earth orbit), forever, until hit by space junk or direct intervention.
Replies (2)
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@themadhatter@mastodon.social 2026-07-10 17:39
@JulianOliver@mastodon.social completely crazy. Sometimes I ask myself when we'll get it that shit ideas are shit ideas. And that profitable technology is not the solution, but one of our problems.
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@isaacfreeman@cloudisland.nz 2026-07-12 06:56
@JulianOliver@mastodon.social Hopefully a malfunction would result in the mirrors pointing the wrong direction most of the time. Still, it does seem like the main outcome of launching this will be to establish that there are legitimate reasons for taking down other people's satellites.