The FCC licensed California startup Reflect Orbital to launch its first demonstration satellite, Ærendil-1, later this year. The spacecraft will deploy a reflective surface measuring about 60 feet on a side to beam concentrated sunlight to customers on Earth. Reflect Orbital plans to eventually operate 50,000 or more such mirror-craft in low Earth orbit by 2035 for applications including search-and-rescue lighting, urban illumination, construction site work, and boosting solar array output. The company positions the technology as a clean energy solution, though the plan faces pushback over light pollution concerns for astronomy and wildlife.
Ærendil-1 represents the first operational test of technology that critics say introduces a new light-pollution problem. Astronomer John Barentine has noted the reflected beam reaches roughly four times the brightness of a full moon, with multiple satellites in formation potentially affecting both directly illuminated areas and surrounding regions through atmospheric scattering. Reflect Orbital contends it has designed safeguards including the ability to shut off the reflected light immediately and steer clear of observatories and protected habitats, and states the light cannot concentrate beyond natural sunlight intensity or cause eye damage or fires.