Wu Chunfeng, Chairman of the Chengdu Aerospace Science and Technology Microelectronics System Research Co. Ltd told the publication that the satellite is designed to “complement the moon at night. Chunfeng also added that the brightness of the “moon” would be eight times that of the real moon and would be enough to replace street lights. 

As per the report, the satellite would be able to light an area of a diameter of 10 to 80 kilometers. The precise range of the illumination can be controlled within a few dozen meters. Chunfeng noted that testing of the illumination satellite started years ago, and now the technology has matured.