FCC Approves Giant Mirror Satellite Designed to Beam Sunlight to Earth After Dark
The one-satellite test is meant to evaluate reflected sunlight for nighttime solar power and disaster response, despite more than 1,800 public comments objecting.
- On Thursday, the Federal Communications Commission granted California-based Reflect Orbital permission to launch Earendil-1, a test satellite that will use a giant mirror to reflect sunlight to Earth after dark.
- Reflect Orbital aims to sell "sunlight on demand" to power solar farms or assist rescue teams, though the proposal triggered pushback from astronomers fearing intrusive light pollution and safety risks.
- The Earendil-1 satellite will unfold an 18-meter, 324-square-meter aluminized Mylar reflector to direct a 3.1-mile-wide beam of light, while critics warn of "temporary flash blinding of pilots and drivers."
- Citing the Communications Act, the FCC dismissed environmental objections as "unrelated to the Commission's role in authorizing use of radiofrequency spectrum," limiting approval to a single demonstration satellite.
- While this test satellite launches later this year, Reflect Orbital envisions surrounding Earth with a fleet of over 50,000 mirrors by 2035, prompting debates over regulatory oversight for large-scale space projects.
13 Articles
13 Articles
FCC approves test of space mirror to light night sky despite outcry
The federal government has approved plans by a startup company to test a satellite that would use a 60-foot mirror to reflect sunlight back to Earth after dark, as part of a project the company says would power solar farms, provide light for rescue workers and illuminate city streets. The post FCC approves test of space mirror to light night sky despite outcry appeared first on Hawaii Tribune-Herald.
Reflecting sunlight to Earth after sunset seems like a concept out of science fiction, but that's what the Orbital Reflect startup intends to do, and its satellite has already received...
FCC approves first Reflect Orbital satellite
The Federal Communications Commission has given its approval for a satellite that will test the ability to reflect sunlight into nighttime regions, a project sharply criticized by astronomers and environmentalists. The post FCC approves first Reflect Orbital satellite appeared first on SpaceNews.
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