Reflect Orbital wins FCC nod to test orbital sunlight mirrors

What if you could order a localized beam of sunshine straight from orbit after the sun goes down? An idea long confined to classic sci-fi is now officially heading toward orbital testing.

California startup Reflect Orbital has secured a license from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to launch its first demonstration satellite, dubbed Eärendil-1, into low Earth orbit for up to two years of operational tests.

A 60-foot orbital mirror beaming sunlight

The spacecraft carries a deployable 60-foot mirror designed to unfold once in orbit.

Its goal is to act as a cosmic reflector, angling direct sunlight from space down to precise, targeted coordinates on Earth after dark.

Reflect Orbital insists it is not trying to turn night into day. Instead, it describes the beam as delivering a brief, soft glow comparable to moonlight, meant to supply sunlight on demand.

The startup's main pitch centers on clean energy. By beaming light onto existing solar farms during twilight and night hours, it hopes to extend solar generation and lower reliance on fossil fuels.

Looking further ahead, the company boasts an ambitious roadmap: deploying as many as 50,000 reflector satellites into orbit by 2035.

The FCC’s glaring regulatory loophole

The scientific community is far from thrilled.

Astronomers and dark-sky advocates warn that steerable, ultra-bright mirrors in low orbit could wreck scientific observations, flood sensitive telescope detectors, and potentially damage researchers' eyesight.

The approval also exposes an alarming regulatory blind spot.

The FCC cleared the satellite’s radio communications, but explicitly ruled that optical astronomy falls outside its jurisdiction. Four advocacy groups have already filed petitions demanding that regulators reverse the decision.

Why it matters

Conceptually, Reflect Orbital is trying to bypass expensive ground battery storage by putting mirrors in space. If orbital redirection works, existing solar farms could generate clean power long after sunset.

Yet turning the night sky into a billboard of steerable sunlight comes with massive collateral damage. For astronomy and nocturnal wildlife, even brief artificial light sweeps pose severe disruptions.

More importantly, this test exposes how poorly equipped modern space regulators are. When a communications agency can greenlight a giant orbital spotlight simply because its radio spectrum checks out, the entire night sky falls into a regulatory void.

In our view, Reflect Orbital's vision of launching 50,000 satellites by 2035 looks more like a provocative gamble than a viable energy solution. Without clear global rules governing orbital brightness, pushing ahead will trigger fierce resistance from scientists and regulators alike.