US Approves 60-Foot Orbital Mirror to Light Night Sky, Sparks Astronomical Backlash
TL;DR Summary
The US FCC has approved Reflect Orbital’s plan to launch Eärendil-1, a 60-foot square mirror satellite that will unfurl in orbit about 400 miles up to reflect sunlight onto a targeted three-mile-wide patch on Earth. Users could pay about $5,000 per hour for access, with a requirement of 1,000 annual hours, though the company also envisions a fleet of up to 1,000 much larger mirrors. While the tech could aid nighttime illumination for photographers or emergencies (and benefit solar farms at night), scientists warn it could drastically alter the night sky and disrupt circadian rhythms, animal migrations, plant cycles, and oceanic ecosystems.
- US Approves Gigantic Satellite Mirror That Will Illuminate the Earth at Night PetaPixel
- Opinion | Goodbye Darkness, My Old Friend WSJ
- F.C.C. Approves Test of Space Mirror to Light Night Sky Despite Outcry The New York Times
- Southern California company wants to bring daylight to dark parts of Earth KTLA
- Observers Beware: Reflect Orbital’s Space Mirrors Approved for Launch Sky & Telescope
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