FCC approves Reflect Orbital's first space-mirror demo, signaling a path to thousands more

The FCC has granted Reflect Orbital authorization to launch Earendil-1, a roughly 60-foot-square space mirror demo in low Earth orbit, with the company envisioning a future constellation of up to 50,000 mirrors by 2035 to direct sunlight for purposes such as lighting, emergency response, and boosting solar power; Earendil-1 is slated to launch later in 2026. The plan has drawn concerns about light pollution and potential effects on astronomy, but Reflect Orbital says it can confine light to a controllable spot, switch it off quickly, and avoid observatories and sensitive habitats.