Overview
- This week the Federal Communications Commission approved an experimental, limited license for Reflect Orbital’s Eärendil‑1, a single demonstrator that the company says will deploy an 18‑metre mylar reflector in low Earth orbit to redirect sunlight to the ground.
- Reflect Orbital plans short tests from roughly 625 km altitude that aim to produce about 0.1 lux over a roughly 5 km footprint for a few minutes per pass and the firm says results will guide any future regulatory filings.
- The authorization is strictly for one satellite on a time‑limited basis and any move to a commercial constellation would require new approvals, further technical review and public comment.
- Professional astronomers and dark‑sky groups have raised strong objections because even brief, directed beams could streak or saturate telescope images, worsen light pollution and disrupt wildlife and human circadian rhythms.
- Supporters point to emergency lighting, night construction and short extensions of solar generation as potential uses while critics warn of second‑order harms such as increased launches, orbital congestion and long‑term environmental costs; a 1993 Russian test called Znamya is the only comparable precedent.