--- title: "Elon Musk: “Thousands of Solar Reflector Satellites” Could Warm Up Mars" description: "SpaceX CEO Elon Musk suggested that \"thousands of solar reflector satellites\" could be used to warm up the surface of Mars." date: "2019-08-21" modified: "2019-08-21" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/elon-musk-solar-reflector-satellites-mars" categories: - "Astronomy" - "Elon Musk" - "Energy" - "Future Society" - "Mars" - "Renewable Energy" - "Science & Energy" - "Solar Power" - "Space" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "elon musk" - "mars" - "nuclear fallout" - "SpaceX" - "the digest" --- # Elon Musk: “Thousands of Solar Reflector Satellites” Could Warm Up Mars ![SpaceX CEO Elon Musk suggested that "thousands of solar reflector satellites" could be used to warm up the surface of Mars.]() *\Image: Dario Izzo ESA\* ## Space Retreat [Since 2015](), SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has [made it abundantly clear]() that he really wants to nuke Mars in order to terraform it — and, presumably, turn it into a habitable space retreat for billionaires. But he might have a plan B up his sleeve that wouldn't risk turning the Red Planet into a gigantic planet-sized Chernobyl. "Might make sense to have thousands of solar reflector satellites to warm Mars versus artificial suns," [Musk tweeted]() on Tuesday. Then he added, cautiously: "TBD." ## Martian Mirrors That idea might not be as crazy as it sounds: using orbital mirrors to terraform Mars [was suggested]() by University of Arizona undergrad Rigel Woida back in 2006 — a suggestion that won him a NASA fellowship at the time. According to Woida's paper from 2007, the idea was to have a "network of two to three hundred, 150 meter diameter reflectors in monolith form or a series of small clustered groups" to warm the Martian surface. ## Artificial Suns Musk also [elaborated]() on his Plan A — "nuke Mars" — on Twitter: drop a "continuous stream of very low fallout nuclear fusion explosions above the atmosphere to create artificial suns." After all, the Sun is technically an "immense thermonuclear explosion" itself, as [he explained]() last week. But for that to ever happen, NASA would have to change its stance on the matter. Just over a year ago, NASA research [found]() that nuking Mars wouldn't be enough to turn it into an Earth-like holiday destination. **READ MORE:** [Elon Musk ponders solar reflectors instead of nuking Mars to warm it up]() \[*CNET*\] **More on Musk's plans:** *[Sorry, Elon: Terraforming Mars Would Take 3,500 Nukes per Day]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()