July 9 approval from the FCC clears Reflect Orbital to launch and operate Earendil-1 for up to two years, testing a satellite designed to beam sunlight onto selected ground locations at night.
The 18x18-meter demonstrator would project a roughly 5-kilometer-wide light spot; an ESO study said it could become the brightest satellite ever launched, appearing as bright as Venus outside the beam and four times brighter than a full moon inside it.
AAS and other dark-sky groups argued the satellite could disrupt telescopes, endanger pilots and drivers, and even cause eye damage through mid-sized telescopes, but the FCC said light-pollution and eye-safety effects fall outside its authority.
The bureau said the mission serves the public interest under the Communications Act, found no harmful radio-spectrum interference, and accepted Reflect Orbital's debris-mitigation and deorbit plans.
The ruling highlights a regulatory gap: U.S. space licensing splits oversight among the FAA, FCC and NOAA, leaving novel missions like orbital mirrors without a clear agency to judge their non-radio environmental impacts.
Will a million new satellites create a permanent 'Saturn's Ring,' blotting out the stars and blinding our telescopes?
Is solving the AI energy crisis in space worth risking our ability to detect Earth-threatening asteroids?
With regulators sidelined, who has the right to permanently alter humanity's shared view of the night sky?
Space Mirrors vs. the Night Sky: FCC’s Eärendil-1 Approval Sparks Global Debate on Orbital Illumination
Overview
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has approved Reflect Orbital to launch its Eärendil-1 satellite, marking the first step in testing space-based illumination technology. Reflect Orbital aims to use Eärendil-1 to demonstrate its ability to project light as bright as a Full Moon over a 3-mile wide area, showcasing the practical application and control of its space mirror system. This initial test is designed to rigorously evaluate both the technology’s effectiveness and the safeguards developed by the company, setting the stage for future advancements in orbital illumination.