Chinese gov't plans to launch artificial moon

Time via Tim Conway Jr. iheart.com/live/kfi; CC Liu, Seth Auberon (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Chinese government plans to launch new moon into orbit

Ah, a new moon in the sky reflecting

China is reportedly planning to launch an "artificial moon" in the next couple of years, designed to light up the night sky over the country.

And when we say launch, we mean LAUNCH! The mini-moon will be launched over 300 miles above Earth's surface and could shine eight times brighter than the actual Moon (Soma, Luna, Chandra).
 
Location-wise, the new moon will hang over Chengdu, the capital of China’s southwestern Sichuan province.

Moon over Chengdu (Getty Images)

The "artificial moon" itself will have a reflective coating and mirrors to reflect sunlight back to Earth -- but this moon's light can be focused to light up specific areas.

Officials say it could conserve energy by replacing streetlights, thereby saving 1.2 billion yuan ($173 million) in costs annually and provide emergency lighting in cases of natural disasters and blackouts.

 

The new moon is expected to launch in 2020.  If it's successful, three more could be launched by 2022. Read more at Time.com