RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. A California-based space technology company's plan to test a satellite carrying a giant reflective mirror has prompted warnings from experts who fear the technology could worsen light pollution, disrupt ecosystems, and interfere with scientific research.
Reflect Orbital recently received approval from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to launch and test its Eärendil-1 demonstration satellite, which will carry a giant space mirror designed to redirect sunlight back to Earth from low Earth orbit.
The FCC described the concept as a "potentially groundbreaking technology" in its order approving the license for the test satellite.
The FCC said that "the risks of harm raised on the record regarding Reflect Orbital’s solar reflector" are “outweighed by the public interest benefits of authorizing communications to support testing of the technology in a limited, short-duration manner to inform whether there are longer term benefits from an expanded use of this technology.” Newsweek has contacted the FCC for comment via email.
A spokesperson for Reflect Orbital told Newsweek that the company expects its inaugural test mission, Eärendil-1, to launch later this year and hopes to have 36 satellites in orbit by 2027.
The demonstration mission aims to test whether sunlight can be reflected onto specific locations on Earth. The reflected light would illuminate an area around three miles wide, with the satellite repositioning its mirror roughly every four minutes as it circles the planet.
The technology aims to reflect sunlight back to Earth to illuminate streets and neighborhoods without electricity, and to provide additional sunlight to solar farms after dark, increasing energy generation. The technology could potentially be applied to agriculture, disaster response and other industrial sectors.
Not everyone is convinced the technology should move forward.
"This is an abomination," astronomer and professor Stacy McGaugh, chair of the astronomy department at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio, told Newsweek .
McGaugh argued that the project could have severe consequences for observational astronomy, saying existing light pollution is already a major challenge. He described the satellite system as "an existential threat for observational astronomy" and compared its impact to looking directly at the sun through a telescope.
The astronomer also raised environmental concerns, warning that brightly illuminated night skies could affect both people and wildlife. He suggested nocturnal species could be particularly vulnerable to disruption and noted that firefly populations are already declining.
McGaugh was similarly critical of the project's broader philosophy, arguing that the company is effectively planning to illuminate areas without the consent of everyone who may be affected by the light. "Some people may want to turn night into day, but others of us do not," he said.
Reflect Orbital says concerns about light pollution and environmental impacts have already influenced the design of the program.
A spokesperson for the company told Newsweek that it has engaged with scientists, astronomers, environmental researchers and other stakeholders, adding that their feedback has "meaningfully informed" both spacecraft design and operational plans.
The spokesperson said that the satellite is intended as a test-and-learn mission, designed to gather real-world data and evaluate the safeguards that will determine "precisely how, where and when our service is delivered.”
The spokesperson also stressed that "most people and most places will never see this light" because the service is intended to be highly targeted and customers would require permits to receive it.
According to the company, the demonstration satellite is expected to be roughly as bright as a full moon.
The firm said it is commissioning third-party environmental research and is working with federal partners, including the National Science Foundation, on coordination efforts.
Reflect Orbital also pointed to several operational safeguards. The company says its satellites will default to an "off" state when not providing service, can be dimmed or shut down at any point, and can avoid designated exclusion zones around observatories and environmentally sensitive areas.
The company added that it does not plan to operate over at-risk migration corridors and intends to avoid service in sensitive habitats and other protected locations.
In statements posted on its website and provided to Newsweek , Reflect Orbital said it would "systematically avoid redirecting light near observatories, protected habitats and other sensitive sites" and that every illumination request would need approval from the relevant authorities.
The company also pledged to conduct environmental impact assessments, including through independent third parties, and share the findings publicly.
The Reflect Orbital spokesperson for the company told Newsweek : "This is genuinely novel technology, and we recognize that new technologies raise important questions. We welcome these questions and will continue to engage with them.”
Lawyer Gregory Radisic, a senior teaching fellow at the Centre for Space, Cyberspace & Data Law at Australia's Bond University, sees potential value in the technology but said its use would need to be carefully controlled.
"The technology has clear potential benefits in limited, carefully controlled circumstances," Radisic told Newsweek .
He pointed to natural disasters as one possible use case, saying temporary illumination could assist first responders, search-and-rescue operations and infrastructure recovery efforts.
However, Radisic cautioned that a system capable of providing artificial sunlight at night could also "create conflicts with neighboring commun...
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