On July 9, 2026, the FCC approved something that should have gotten far more attention
A California startup called Reflect Orbital received authorization to launch Eärendil-1, a satellite carrying a mirror nearly 60 × 60 feet across, built specifically to redirect sunlight back down to Earth after dark
For decades, satellites created light pollution as a side effect.
This one is designed to create it on purpose.
Eärendil-1 will reflect sunlight onto an area roughly 3 miles wide for around five minutes at a time, producing about 0.1 lux, that’s roughly comparable to full moon illumination.
And this is only the prototype.
The company’s future satellites are planned to carry mirrors nearly 180 feet across, potentially producing illumination equivalent to as much as 100 FULL MOONS
The European Southern Observatory has warned that such a constellation would make the night sky 3 to 4 times brighter than it is today.
Robert Massey, deputy executive director of the Royal Astronomical Society, called it CATASTROPHIC
A California startup called Reflect Orbital received authorization to launch Eärendil-1, a satellite carrying a mirror nearly 60 × 60 feet across, built specifically to redirect sunlight back down to Earth after dark
For decades, satellites created light pollution as a side effect.
This one is designed to create it on purpose.
Eärendil-1 will reflect sunlight onto an area roughly 3 miles wide for around five minutes at a time, producing about 0.1 lux, that’s roughly comparable to full moon illumination.
And this is only the prototype.
The company’s future satellites are planned to carry mirrors nearly 180 feet across, potentially producing illumination equivalent to as much as 100 FULL MOONS
The European Southern Observatory has warned that such a constellation would make the night sky 3 to 4 times brighter than it is today.
Robert Massey, deputy executive director of the Royal Astronomical Society, called it CATASTROPHIC
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