FCC Approves Reflect Orbital's Giant Mirror Satellite That Astronomers Hate

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FCC Approves Reflect Orbital's Giant Mirror Satellite That Astronomers Hate

Updated Jul 10, 2026

The FCC says the most controversial aspect of Reflect Orbital's Earendil-1 satellite, the giant mirror, falls out of its purview since the regulator mainly focuses on radio spectrum.

Michael Kan<br>Principal Reporter

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Despite a flood of objections, the Federal Communications Commission has approved a startup's plan to launch a controversial satellite that’ll use a giant mirror to reflect sunlight to Earth after darkOn Thursday, the FCC granted the California-based Reflect Orbital permission to launch and operate the satellite in low-Earth orbit using the requested radio spectrum. The reflected light from satellite is supposed to span an area of about three miles wide on the ground. The approval is only for one satellite, dubbed Earendil-1, which is meant to test Reflect Orbital’s technology to shine the sunlight back to Earth. The satellite will boast a steerable thin-film reflector measuring 18 feet by 18 feet, with the goal of creating a way to power solar farms at night, or illuminate disaster-struck areas after dark to help rescue teams. But to expand the technology, Reflect Orbital envisions operating over 50,000 satellites by 2035, effectively surrounding the Earth with a fleet of mirrors. The proposal has faced stiff pushback from environmental groups and astronomers concerned that the satellites will unleash intrusive light pollution. The opposition has been so strong that the FCC received over 1,800 public comments on the application, many of them objecting to Reflect Orbital’s plan for Earendil-1.(FCC/Reflect Orbital)The concerns included the “potential for eye damage to amateur astronomers looking through reasonably sized telescopes; temporary ‘flash blinding’ of drivers and pilots; and negative impacts on the scientific research, being carried out by federally funded astronomical facilities” said the American Astronomical Society, which called for its denial. However, the FCC decided to approve the satellite, noting the grant is only “for a single demonstration satellite” to test an innovative technology that could advance American leadership in space.  “The Communications Act states that it is the policy of the United States to ‘encourage the provision of new technologies and services to the public,’ and Reflect Orbital’s demonstration satellite is an example of a potentially groundbreaking technology that the Commission has found is in the public interest to support,” the order says. Recommended by Our Editors

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But on the most controversial aspect of the satellite, the FCC said the concerns around Reflect Orbital’s solar reflector are "unrelated to the Commission’s role in authorizing use of radiofrequency spectrum, and even if the Commission had authority to review and condition these operations (which it does not), these harms are unlikely to occur.”“Independently, we find that any such risks 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,” the FCC added. (Reflect Orbital)In addition, the Commission said that US courts have blocked the FCC from using “a generalized public interest requirement beyond its statutory authority in regulating communications. Accordingly, the operations of a solar reflector in space would not be reviewed as part of the Bureau’s public interest analysis.” The regulator also noted that conducting an environmental review for the satellite went beyond its authority. Even if the FCC did have the power, the Commission emphasized the grant is for a single satellite, rather than 50,000 satellites. “The majority of these comments focus on a hypothetical plan to deploy tens of thousands of satellites, and those who argue the single satellite will harm the human environment do not demonstrate with specificity the potential harm will be caused by the single satellite, but rather rely on the same studies as the commenters objecting to a larger constellation,” the Commission added.To critics, the issue might highlight a gap in how the US regulate satellites when some groups have been calling for the...