The Federal Communications Commission has authorized the initial demonstration flight of Reflect Orbital’s Eärendil-1 satellite. Once deployed, the craft will carry an 18-by-18-meter mirror intended to redirect sunlight to specific locations on demand. The company aims to place more than 50,000 such reflectors in low Earth orbit by 2035, though astronomers have expressed concern over possible effects on night-sky observations.
The first launch could take place later this year. The FCC decision addressed only radio-frequency allocation and did not evaluate broader environmental or visual impacts. Reflect Orbital intends to fly three prototype reflectors at three-month intervals, with the initial three units also serving commercial purposes. The approved orbit is near-polar at 625 kilometers altitude, pointing to a launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base.
The concept of space-based mirrors dates back decades. In 1992 Russia tested a 20-meter reflector called Znamya-2 from the Mir station, producing a bright spot visible across parts of Europe. The current project name refers to a character in The Lord of the Rings. Earlier NASA experiments, such as the 1960 Echo-1 balloon satellite, also explored large reflective surfaces in orbit.
Reflect Orbital states the reflectors could supply on-demand illumination for agriculture, disaster response, and extended work hours. Potential defense applications have also been noted. The first satellite is designed to produce a brightness comparable to the full Moon across a five-kilometer area, though concentrated into a single point source.
Other large satellite constellations have already increased the number of bright objects crossing twilight skies. Reflect Orbital says it will coordinate with astronomers and publish schedules for planned reflections, while proposing exclusion zones around major observatories. Critics worry that widespread adoption could reduce access to truly dark skies and affect long-term astronomical surveys.
