Submitted 3 weeks ago by 
nemeski@mander.xyz to astronomy@mander.xyz
https://www.engadget.com/2212600/fcc-grants-approval-for-sun-reflecting-space-mirror/
Another scam.
Your company went nowhere but you got paid for all your hard work.
I don’t know if this is how it works but it is how imagine it.
It’s an interesting concept. But knowing capitalism it’ll soon be used and abused.
/We can’t have anything nice.
Reflect Orbital’s satellite, Earendil-1, features an adjustable “highly specular, thin-film reflector” for directing sunlight, and a built-in propulsion system that’s supposed to help it avoid collisions and otherwise maneuver while in low-earth orbit. Reflect Orbital imagines operating a Starlink-esque network it can position for on-demand sunlight (powering solar panels or increasing visibility for search-and-rescue teams), but for now it’ll test its premise with a single satellite.
Starlink-esque network it can position for on-demand sunlight
This sounds extremely expensive and impractical.
That sounds like the logical next step for the space industry. Intermittence is a big problem for PV installations, this partially solves it.
fcc???
“The new satellite had to go through FCC approval because of the radio spectrum it operates on…”
thanks. Its kinda sad in a way.
KiwiTB@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
It’s just another musk style nut job doing but job things complete with obligatory LOTR reference to really rub in the crazy.
RamenJunkie@midwest.social 3 weeks ago
Why are they so fucking obsessed with stealing names from LotR?
mushroommunk@lemmy.today 3 weeks ago
Because they recognize how amazing it is. They just fail to recognize they’re exactly what it warns against
KiwiTB@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
It’s a European racist thing about using it as the ‘white’ origin story.
SacralPlexus@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Fascists love to steal other people’s culture and try to claim it as theirs. Nazis didn’t invent swastikas. Even the fascist part of Italy was named after a Roman symbol of authority. Yes I know that Italians are descendants of Romans but it was still a symbol from ancient civilization that was taken and repurposed. LOTR feels like ancient mythology in some ways because it’s so culturally known and loved so why wouldn’t they try to steal from it.
Bunch of dicks.
jaggedrobotpubes@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
How else will there be anything cool about the company?