Overview
- The Federal Communications Commission approved Reflect Orbital’s application on July 9, 2026 to build and operate a single demonstration satellite called Eärendil-1 that will carry an 18-by-18 meter steerable thin-film reflector.
- Eärendil-1 is planned for a near-polar low Earth orbit about 625 kilometers up and is designed to aim a roughly five-kilometer-wide light patch that the company says equals about 0.1 lux, comparable to a full moon for minutes at a time.
- The FCC’s authorization covered the satellite’s radio operations and its orbital debris mitigation plan but declined to require an environmental assessment, saying broader effects on astronomy and ecosystems fall outside its statutory remit.
- Scientific bodies and nearly 1,800–2,000 public commenters, including the American Astronomical Society, the European Southern Observatory and the Royal Astronomical Society, warned the concept could raise night-sky brightness by about two- to four-fold and harm astronomical observations, wildlife and aviation safety.
- Reflect Orbital says the test will show whether its beam control and shutoff measures work; planned on-orbit measurements later this year will be the critical data that regulators, NASA, the NSF or other agencies may use to decide if wider deployments need further review.