The Federal Communications Commission has approved a California startup’s plan to launch a satellite designed to reflect sunlight down to targeted spots on Earth at night, a decision that has drawn sharp objections from astronomers who warn the technology could damage eyesight and permanently alter the night sky.
The FCC’s Space Bureau approved the application from Reflect Orbital on July 9, clearing the company to launch and operate a demonstration satellite called Eärendil-1 for up to two years. The spacecraft carries an 18-by-18-meter, or roughly 59-by-59-foot, steerable mirror designed to redirect sunlight toward a chosen location on the ground after dark, producing a beam of light roughly five kilometers wide. According to the company, the illumination would be comparable to a full moon spread across several thousand acres, though anyone standing directly in the beam’s path could see the satellite shine up to four times brighter than a full moon.