The new Russian development will soon be able to outshine all visible bright stars. Scientists are planning to launch a satellite called Mayak, equipped with solar reflectors. It should start in mid-July.
Scientists believe that this satellite will become the fourth brightest object in the sky, after the Sun, Moon and Venus. The Mayak satellite was created in the CubeSat format, its size is approximately equal to a loaf of bread. Its launch is planned on the Soyuz rocket on July 14, from the Baikonur cosmodrome.
Upon entering orbit, the satellite will reveal a pyramid-shaped solar reflector covered with a film 20 times thinner than a human hair. It is thanks to this reflector that "Mayak" can become the brightest star in the sky.
Scientists plan to use this satellite to test the aerodynamic braking system in order to be able to lower objects from orbits without using an engine in the future, which will help solve the problem of space debris.
Evdokia Light