The Federal Communications Commission on July 9 granted Reflect Orbital approval to launch Eärendil-1, a demonstration satellite designed to test technology that reflects sunlight from space back to Earth after dark. The 142-kilogram spacecraft carries an 18-meter by 18-meter thin-film mirror and is scheduled to reach orbit by the end of 2026 at an altitude of 600 to 650 kilometers, according to SpaceNews.
Reflect Orbital plans to direct the reflected sunlight toward specific areas on Earth for several minutes at a time, testing the system’s ability to illuminate construction sites, support search-and-rescue operations, and boost energy production at solar farms during nighttime hours. The company describes the concept as “sunlight on demand.”
The approval marks a significant step forward for the California-based startup, which submitted its FCC application nearly a year ago. Ben Nowack, chief executive of Reflect Orbital, said in a statement that the company was “grateful to the FCC for recognizing the importance of testing novel technologies in space.” The FCC concluded that approving the test “is in the public interest to make spectrum available to encourage companies to test new and innovative space activities, as it promotes American innovation,” according to SpaceNews.
The approval has sparked fierce opposition from astronomers and environmental groups. Reflect Orbital’s long-term vision includes deploying more than 50,000 satellites by 2035 to create a global constellation, and one astronomical model estimates that such a full constellation could increase the natural night-sky background brightness by 200 to 300 percent, according to Space Daily. Tony Tyson, distinguished research professor at the University of California, Davis, and chief scientist of the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, said at a June 4 National Academies meeting that the Reflect Orbital plans were “even crazier” than broadband satellite constellations astronomers have already worried about, describing the potential impact as “Imagine the sky full of moons,” per SpaceNews.
The European Southern Observatory, which operates major telescopes in Chile, warned that a full constellation of 50,000 satellites would increase background sky brightness at its facilities by a factor of three to four, limiting the ability of telescopes to detect faint objects. Environmentalists have also raised concerns that reflected sunlight from such a constellation could disrupt the diurnal cycles of plants and animals. The FCC’s authorization generated nearly 1,900 public comments, mostly critical of the system’s potential impacts, according to SpaceNews.
The FCC largely concluded in its order that concerns about Eärendil-1’s impacts on optical astronomy and the environment fell outside its regulatory jurisdiction, though the company has committed to collaborating with NASA and the National Science Foundation to address astronomical concerns. The approval came as environmental and scientific groups formally petitioned the FCC for a detailed environmental review of orbital data center constellations, highlighting the broader tension between space innovation and environmental protection.
Sources
- SpaceNews — FCC approval date, satellite specifications, CEO statement, Tyson quote, ESO statement, comment count, and FCC reasoning
- Space Daily — Night-sky brightness increase estimate (200-300%)
- The Conversation — Reflect Orbital’s 50,000-satellite target by 2035 and planned applications
