A company has a bold proposal: it wants to sell daylight on demand to people at night. The idea is not without controversy.

Imagine you’re a farmer and you want to give your crops a boost of sunshine so they grow more. If a proposal from Reflect Orbital comes to fruition, they’d be able to contract them to blast their crops with sunshine in the middle of the night, giving them the boost of sunshine they want.

The California-based start-up Reflect Orbital wants to launch a large constellation of satellites equipped with mirrors that would reflect sunlight away from the Earth’s shadow down to Earth on demand.

The first target customer of Reflect Orbital is solar farms.  The satellites, equipped with Mylar mirrors, aim to capture sunlight and direct it to solar farms, allowing them to generate power even after sunset.

The company has named its first test satellite Earendil-1, scheduled for launch next spring. After launch, Reflect Orbital plans a  limited “World Tour” lighting experience  in 10 iconic locations. From there, the company will expand to provide lighting for remote operations, defense, civil infrastructure, and energy generation. Reflect is actively contracting with customers after receiving over 260,000 applications for satellite-reflected sunlight from 157 countries last fall.

The initial test satellite will pave the way for a much larger constellation. Reports suggest that by 2030, the company aims to have approximately 4,000 satellites in orbit, with plans to expand this number to 250,000 over time.

These satellites will orbit about 388 miles above the Earth, reflecting light that is significantly dimmer than the midday sun but much brighter than a full moon.

The idea of bringing sunlight to dark night skies has alarmed astronomers. A recent survey by the American Astronomical Society indicates that most astronomers believe the proposed constellation will negatively affect their work.

Others are concerned illuminating night skies could have environmental impacts. Some suggest that light from the  Reflect Orbital satellites at night could disrupt pollination and plant growth cycles; it’s possible bird migrations and the behaviors of other animals and insects could also be impacted.