The Great Wall won’t be the only attraction in China visible from outer space when the country launches an artificial moon that’ll be eight times brighter than the real moon.
Is this sounding a little Truman Show-esque to anyone?
It should because the first of three ‘moons’ will switch on as soon as 2020 and will sit 500 kilometres above the Earth to light up the entire south-western city of Chengdu.
China hopes the artificial moon made from reflective material, will be strong enough to replace all the street lights within Chengdu and significantly reduce electricity consumption across the country by 1.2 billion yuan ($240 million) every year., ABC News reported.
Image: Congyi Yuan/Unsplash
The Chairman of Chengdu Aerospace Science and Technology Microelectronics System Research Institute Corporation said the moon would provide Chinese citizens with a “dusk-like glow” in the evening and would work to complement the real moon.
Unsurprisingly, the project has received mixed responses from the public with some welcoming the technology and others questioning why China would want to launch something that goes beyond the laws of nature.
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