A test flight for researching ways to cool Earth by blocking sunlight will not take place as planned in Sweden this June, following objections from environmentalists, scientists and Indigenous groups there. The Swedish Space Corporation said this week it had canceled plans for the flight, in which it would have launched a high-altitude balloon, on behalf of researchers, from its facility in the Arctic. It would have been the first flight of a long-planned experiment called Scopex, a project led by scientists at Harvard University. The decision not to conduct the test was made in agreement with the Harvard panel, it said. The advisory committee issued its own statement saying it recommended that any test flights be suspended until it “can make a final recommendation about those flights based on a robust and inclusive public engagement in Sweden.”

Source: New York Times April 02, 2021 21:33 UTC