Not a dumb question at all, it can work from space! I think getting enough return signal and contrast will be the main issues. Both can be solved with a big eno

Not a dumb question at all, it can work from space! I think getting enough return signal and contrast will be the main issues. Both can be solved with a big enough lens, but then cost and maintenance will become an issue. If the system can be optimized beyond needing a single lens per beam than it might be feasible!