NASA plans to ‘put stars in the sky’

NASA’s new artificial star launch mission will help pave the way for researchers to explore space in space.

The laser on the satellite will help the object glow like an artificial star. Photo: ESO.

While concerns about light pollution and its effects on space observation continue to grow, some scientists have devised a plan to remedy the situation. NASA experts want to put an artificial star into orbit by the end of the decade.

According to NASA, they will launch a satellite with a square shape like a cake box into orbit. The satellite will orbit the Earth and be exactly 22,236 miles (35,785 km) from the surface.

This process will put the object into an asynchronous orbital zone, which means it will match the Earth’s rotation and help stabilize in the night sky. During the first year of the mission, the researchers will keep this fixed point above the United States.

In addition, they will use a laser on the satellite to make it act as an artificial star. These lasers will emit light directly to telescopes on the ground and simulate various stars or supernovae in the universe. From there, researchers can adjust the way they study and observe specific cosmic phenomena.

According to BGR, this is a feasible idea and is expected to bring many improvements in the way humans explore the universe in the future. Besides, this “artificial star” also does not affect the night sky much. The researchers behind the project say it will be 100 times dimmer than what is visible to the naked eye.

However, observers can still see it with medium-sized telescopes. In the immediate future, scientists hope that this idea can be realized by 2029.

Now, the researchers announced that the new mission could include a team of 30 people and estimated to cost about $19.5 million. This number is negligible considering the other missions NASA has carried out on Mars.