NASA Seeks 65% Astrophysics Cut as FCC Clears 50,000-Mirror Orbital Fleet
Updated
Updated · Astrobites · Aug 10
NASA Seeks 65% Astrophysics Cut as FCC Clears 50,000-Mirror Orbital Fleet
3 articles · Updated · Astrobites · Aug 10
Summary
NASA’s 2027 budget request would cut astrophysics funding by 65% and shut down 54 missions, while UKRI has confirmed e-MERLIN funding will end in March 2028 and Canada still has not funded the CASTOR telescope.
Those cuts are already hitting projects and staff: AXIS was ruled ineligible after NASA buyouts removed about a fifth of the agency’s civil service, including more than 20 specialists tied to the mission.
At the same time, the FCC approved Reflect Orbital’s first 18-metre mirror satellite despite astronomy and eye-safety objections, opening the way for a planned 50,000-satellite system designed to beam moon-bright light to Earth at night.
A new paper warns far larger orbital computing plans from SpaceX, Blue Origin, Starcloud and Cowboy Space could create persistent bright rings in the sky, with one ESO estimate suggesting a full mirror fleet could make night skies 3 to 4 times brighter.
The combined effect is a shift in astronomy away from traditional public funding and toward other countries and private backers, as Europe, Japan and philanthropies move to recruit researchers and finance new observatories.
Since regulators ignore orbital brightness, what happens when an amateur astronomer suffers permanent eye damage viewing these unregulated space mirrors?
With artificial suns threatening telescopes and wildlife, could this controversial technology spell the end of ground-based astronomy forever?
Reflect Orbital’s 50,000-Satellite Plan: Commercial Space Mirrors, Legal Loopholes, and the Future of Darkness
Overview
The FCC's approval of Reflect Orbital's Earendil-1 satellite marks a turning point in commercial space technology, allowing the company to test redirecting sunlight from orbit for energy and defense uses. By beaming light onto solar farms, these satellites can extend clean energy production into nighttime hours. However, this artificial illumination disrupts natural cycles in wildlife and humans, causing ecological and health risks, and threatens ground-based astronomy by overpowering telescopes and erasing the dark sky. Despite these impacts, no federal agency regulates the optical effects, and plans for a 50,000-satellite constellation raise global environmental and geopolitical concerns.