Reflect Orbital, a California startup, has obtained Federal Communications Commission approval to conduct tests on a satellite equipped with an 18-metre-wide mirror intended to reflect sunlight back to Earth. The technology aims to enhance solar farm productivity during nighttime hours and provide illumination to areas without electricity access. The company raised $20 million in funding earlier this year and plans to launch its Eärendil-1 demonstration satellite into low Earth orbit before the year’s end.
The satellite’s operational design involves deploying a thin-film reflector capable of directing sunlight onto areas measuring between 5 and 6 kilometres wide. According to the company’s projections, the reflected light could be adjusted in intensity from levels equivalent to moonlight to full sunlight. Reflect Orbital intends to commercialize this service, potentially charging up to $5,000 per hour for municipalities and companies utilizing the reflected sunlight for either street lighting or nocturnal solar power generation. If the pilot succeeds, the startup has announced expansion plans to deploy an additional 1,000 satellite mirrors by 2028 and up to 50,000 by 2035, with future mirrors potentially reaching widths of 55 metres.
The proposal has generated substantial opposition from the scientific community. More than 1,800 comments were submitted to the FCC, and leaders of four international scientific societies representing approximately 2,500 researchers across over 30 countries have sent letters expressing concerns. Scientists warn that the light beams could temporarily blind aircraft pilots, compromise astronomical observations, and disrupt circadian rhythms in humans and animals. Additional concerns include potential negative impacts on nocturnal species migration, plant seasonal cycles, and marine phytoplankton ecosystems that form the foundation of ocean food webs. The European Biological Rhythms Society president emphasized worries about global food security implications.
The FCC asserted that space falls outside the jurisdiction of terrestrial environmental regulations. Reflect Orbital’s leadership maintains that the pilot phase will generate essential data to verify that safety mechanisms can effectively control light output. Other companies, including SpaceX, are pursuing comparable orbital technologies for energy and computing applications, though existing satellite networks have already faced accusations of creating orbital congestion and light pollution concerns.
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