Overview
- The FCC on July 9 authorized Reflect Orbital’s Eärendil‑1 demonstration to operate its radio systems and approved a debris‑mitigation plan for a near‑polar orbit about 625 km above Earth.
- Eärendil‑1 will carry an 18-by-18 meter thin‑film reflector that the company says can steer sunlight to produce a roughly 3–5 km light patch at night with brightness comparable to a full moon for short periods.
- Major astronomy groups including the American Astronomical Society, the European Southern Observatory and the Royal Astronomical Society formally protested the approval and warned that thousands of such mirrors could greatly brighten the night sky and harm optical observations.
- Scientists and environmental advocates say the reflected light could pose risks to telescope sensors and human eyesight, disrupt wildlife and human circadian rhythms, and create aviation glare hazards, and they are pressing for independent environmental study and interagency review before any scaling.
- Reflect Orbital frames the test as a step toward using orbital mirrors for night‑time solar generation and emergency lighting, but regulators and researchers say on‑orbit measurement from this demonstrator will be decisive for whether broader deployment can proceed.