The next big subscription service could be sunlight. And it might cost $5,000 an hour

A satellite startup wants to fill the night sky with ultra-powerful beams of redirected sunlight. What could go wrong? According to astronomers, almost everything. Reflect Orbital’s plans to launch 50,000 satellites equipped with giant mirrors is akin to “a bullet in your head,” says one astrophysicist, citing threats to both the natural world and the future of astronomy. Selling the sun Reflect offers “sunlight-as-a-service,” planning to use its constellation of satellites to beam down...