The Giant Russian Space Mirror That Turned Night into Day

The Giant Russian Space Mirror That Turned Night into Day

In an era of incredible military and technological innovations, a Soviet engineer dreamed of bringing light to desolate regions of Russia where nighttime prevails.

Vladimir Syromyatnikov conceived the idea of creating a colossal space mirror capable of reflecting solar light back to Earth. The feat would light entire cities and boost agricultural productivity in Soviet regions where daylight was scarce during the winters.

The Znamya satellite faced a lot of opposition from the government and the Soviet Space Program. Still, Vladimir went public and got the required funds; his dream project was now a reality.

The plan was to launch several space mirrors, each larger than the last until one became permanent. After years of development, Znamya 2 was launched in October of 1992, and for a brief moment in time, it lit a small portion of the Earth.