Space.com by Tereza Pultarova 10/21/2025
This company's plan to launch 4,000 massive space mirrors has scientists alarmed: 'From an astronomical perspective, that's pretty catastrophic'Reflect Orbital says their light-on-demand idea has generated significant interest from commercial and government customers.California-based start-up Reflect Orbital has applied for a government license to launch a giant mirror to space next year. The mission is meant to be the first step in the company's ambitious plan to operate a constellation of more than 4,000 solar reflectors to boost solar power production in twilight hours on Earth.
According to the company's application with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Reflect Orbital wants to fly its demonstration satellite EARENDIL-1 next year, with an expected launch date in April. Once in orbit, the satellite will unfold a mirror that measures 60 by 60 feet (18 by 18 meters) in order to demonstrate its ability to direct sunlight down onto targets on Earth. The company, which won a $1.25 million Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract from the U.S. Air Force in May, says its future constellation will deliver light on demand after sunset and before sunrise to paying customers on Earth, effectively extending the daytime hours.
But the project, which promises to help increase clean energy generation during peak-use morning and evening hours, has alarmed astronomers and biodiversity experts who are concerned about the effects of light pollution the constellation is going to produce.
Reflect Orbital claims on its website that its constellation will enable solar power generation at night, make crops grow better and stronger, possibly replace urban lighting, provide emergency illumination in disaster zones and enable people to work into the night.
Reflect Orbital's spokesperson told Space.com in an email that by 2030, the company envisions a constellation of 4,000 of such satellites, circling Earth in a sun-synchronous orbit following the boundary between day and night. (Satellites in a sun-synchronous orbit circle the planet from pole to pole and pass over a given spot on Earth at the same solar time each day.)
The firm said in its FCC license application the proposition had "generated significant interest from commercial and government partners," had already secured full funding for the demonstration mission and received "over 250,000 applications for service."
Astronomers and biodiversity experts, however, are voicing concerns about the development, calling for an environmental review of the space mirrors' effects on life on Earth.
More:
https://www.space.com/space-exploration/satellites/this-companys-plan-to-launch-4-000-massive-space-mirrors-has-scientists-alarmed-from-an-astronomical-perspective-thats-pretty-catastrophic
