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Updated: October 20, 2018 at 12 h 45 min 34 s
Artificial moons could replace streetlights in urban areas, saving 1.2 billion yuan ($ 0 million) a year in electricity costs for Chengdu. (Photo by Reuters)
In an effort to replace streetlights and reduce electricity costs in the country's urban areas, China plans to launch its own "artificial moon" by 2020, the statement said. China Daily. "Illumination satellites" are being developed in Chengdu, a city in southwestern Sichuan, which will be facing each other. The satellites will shine with the light of the true moon but will be eight times brighter.
"The first artificial moon will be launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan, and another three will follow in 2022 if the first test goes well. Although the first launch is experimental, the 2022 satellites will constitute the real deal with great civic and commercial potential, "said Wu Chunfeng, head of the science company of the new Tian Fu region – the organization responsible for the project.
The project was announced by Wu at a conference on innovation and entrepreneurship in Chengdu on Oct. 10.
The artificial moons could replace the urban street lights, which would save about 1.2 billion yuan ($ 170 million) a year in electricity costs for Chengdu, if these artificial moons illuminated a area of 50 square kilometers. Light can also be useful in disaster areas during power outages.
In addition to the new science company Tian Fu sector, the Harbin Institute of Technology and China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp also participate in the development of artificial moons.
China is not the first country to try to manufacture artificial lights with the help of Sunlight. In the 1990s, Russian scientists would have used giant mirrors to reflect the light of space as part of an experimental project called Znamya or Banner.
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