FCC approves California startup's sun-reflecting satellite

A California startup has received federal approval to launch an experimental satellite designed to reflect sunlight onto Earth after dark, a first step toward a controversial vision of providing "sunlight on demand." On July 9, the Federal Communications Commission authorized Reflect Orbital to build, launch, and operate its prototype satellite, named Eärendil1.

The spacecraft, scheduled to launch later this year, is designed to deploy a motorized, thin-film reflector roughly 59 feet (18 meters) wide while orbiting about 625 kilometers above Earth. The satellite would capture sunlight while over Earth's dark side and direct a beam toward a specific target on the ground, illuminating an area estimated to span at least five kilometers for brief periods. This initial mission is intended as a limited-duration technology demonstration to test the feasibility of deploying and precisely aiming the large reflective membrane.

Reflect Orbital's long-term ambition is far more expansive. The company's public roadmap envisions deploying two satellites in 2026, more than 5,000 by 2030, and ultimately a constellation of over 50,000 such mirror satellites by 2035. The company argues this...