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BY Jude Cramer

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A satellite startup wants to fill the night sky with ultra-powerful beams of redirected sunlight. What could go wrong?

According to astronomers, almost everything. Reflect Orbital’s plans to launch 50,000 satellites equipped with giant mirrors is akin to “a bullet in your head,” says one astrophysicist, citing threats to both the natural world and the future of astronomy.

Selling the sun

Reflect offers “sunlight-as-a-service,” planning to use its constellation of satellites to beam down five-kilometer-wide rays of sunlight on demand, ranging in brightness from “noon light to moon light.”

Reflect’s website suggests potential use cases like powering solar panels, illuminating disaster zones and search-and-rescue missions, and lighting up worksites, cities, and events.…