The Chinese city of Chengdu plans to launch an illumination satellite disguised as an artificial moon over the next two years, instead of street lights.
The satellite mimics the light of the real moon, while emitting a stronger light that can illuminate the streets of the city at night.
Wu Chunfeng, president of the Chengdu Aerospace Institute for Scientific and Technological Microelectronic Systems Research, announced at a national crowd-innovation and entrepreneurship event.
The Chinese newspaper People’s Daily reports that the illumination satellite is designed to complement the moon throughout the night and radiate a ‘twilight glow’ that will be bright enough to replace street lights in the south-western city of Chengdu.
According to Wu, the brightness of the artificial moon is eight times that of the actual moon and can illuminate an area six to 50 miles in diameter, while the exact illumination range can be controlled within a few dozen meters.
Wu explained that testing of the satellite was launched years ago, and the technology is now sufficiently developed to allow them to launch in 2020.
