We posted a thread on X in response to Elon’s post. https://x.com/SpaceSRM/status/1985512337709904327
*Morgan Goodwin* *Executive Director - *Planetary Sunshade Foundation [email protected] | m/ 530-562-7176 Leave me feedback <https://www.admonymous.co/morgan-goodwin> On Tue, Nov 4, 2025 at 1:12 AM Geoengineering News < [email protected]> wrote: > > https://interestingengineering.com/space/elon-musk-solar-radiation-management-geoengineering > > *By *Neetika Walter > > *03 November 2025* > > Elon Musk proposes satellite-based sunlight control to fight climate > change, sparking debate over space geoengineering. > > The world’s richest man has entered one of the most controversial climate > debates of our time: whether humans should try to cool the planet by > dimming sunlight. > > Early Monday morning, Elon Musk took to X to share his thoughts on solar > radiation management (SRM), a geoengineering technique that would involve > reflecting a portion of the Sun’s rays away from Earth. > > As global temperatures edge dangerously close to critical thresholds and > international emissions goals continue to fall short, SRM has been gaining > attention as a last-resort climate fix. > > Musk said satellites can be used to control the amount of sunlight that > reaches the planet. > > The concept, known as space-based solar radiation management, would > theoretically use mirrors or reflective materials in orbit to bounce > sunlight back into space. > > It’s an idea that blends climate science with aerospace engineering, and > one that has split the scientific community down the middle. > > Musk’s comment was brief, but it carried weight. > > As the CEO of the world’s largest satellite operator, his endorsement of a > space-based approach inevitably sparks speculation about whether SpaceX > could one day play a role in such a project. > > *Big ambitions, bigger risks* > Musk isn’t the first to explore the idea of dimming the Sun. A growing > number of startups have begun testing technologies designed to cool Earth’s > surface. > > From injecting reflective aerosols into the stratosphere to launching > fleets of orbital mirrors, some have already attracted millions in funding, > betting on what they see as the next frontier in climate technology. > > But experts say these projects are far from deployment. The technical, > ethical, and environmental challenges are immense. > > For one, no one truly knows how altering solar radiation would affect > global weather systems. A single miscalculation could disrupt rainfall > patterns or cause unpredictable regional cooling. > > And while Musk’s companies have unmatched reach in space infrastructure, > scaling an SRM system to planetary levels is another story. “It would be > far easier said than done,” as one analyst put it, especially given that > even the most advanced SRM proposals remain largely theoretical. > > Beyond the science, there’s also geopolitics. Who decides when and how to > shade the planet? And what happens if one nation’s cooling efforts trigger > droughts in another? > > These unanswered questions have kept SRM on the fringes of policy > discussions, despite rising interest among private players. > > *A billionaire’s new frontier?* > If SpaceX were to enter the SRM race, it would instantly overshadow > smaller startups testing aerosol sprays or orbital reflectors. > > The company already operates over 6,000 Starlink satellites and has the > launch infrastructure to deploy thousands more. That makes Musk’s casual > endorsement impossible to ignore. > > Still, there’s no indication SpaceX is working on SRM-capable satellites. > For now, the comment seems more like a thought experiment than a corporate > roadmap. > > Yet Musk’s timing is telling. With heat records being broken year after > year, and progress on emissions lagging, even the most radical climate > ideas are starting to sound less far-fetched. > > Whether space-based SRM ever becomes reality remains to be seen, but the > fact that Musk is now part of the conversation ensures the idea won’t fade > into the shadows anytime soon. > > *Source: Interesting Engineering * > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "geoengineering" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To view this discussion visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/geoengineering/CAHJsh9_2cnQebab9xJgn6s9M%3Dhp_gcX%2BFuatrbNc3QC9Lj3RWQ%40mail.gmail.com > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/geoengineering/CAHJsh9_2cnQebab9xJgn6s9M%3Dhp_gcX%2BFuatrbNc3QC9Lj3RWQ%40mail.gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "geoengineering" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/geoengineering/CACZBkCU6akbuStgDeAHsZx33E7Zsrkidu9mK-95p7G6oPqOn6A%40mail.gmail.com.
