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Study warns space mirrors planned by Reflect Orbital could disrupt night skies and astronomy

Researchers calculate that orbital sunlight reflectors would illuminate broad areas beyond target zones, prompting pushback from scientists and environmental groups.

Updated Aug 24, 2026 · 00:32 UTC1 reports

The short version

  • A study accepted by Astrophysical Journal Letters found that Reflect Orbital's planned orbital mirrors would scatter light far beyond target zones, making individual satellites up to 40 times brighter than the full moon.
  • Reflect Orbital plans to launch a test satellite later this year after FCC approval, with long-term goals of deploying up to 50,000 mirrors to provide on-demand sunlight for solar power, emergency response, and defense.
  • Astronomers and conservation groups have urged the FCC to reverse its approval and conduct an environmental review, citing risks to astronomy, wildlife, and aviation.
  • The primary uncertainty is whether regulatory bodies will impose new cross-border or environmental restrictions on optical satellite reflections, which fall outside standard FCC frequency licensing.

Key facts

  • Reflect Orbital intends to test an 18-by-18-meter orbiting mirror named Eärendil-1 following Federal Communications Commission approval granted in July.[MIT Technology Review]
  • The company's long-term plan envisions placing up to 50,000 larger 54-by-54-meter satellites into high-inclination orbits to reflect sunlight to ground locations on demand.[MIT Technology Review]
  • Research by astronomer Miroslav Kocifaj and colleagues calculated that a single satellite would appear approximately 40 times brighter than a full moon inside its five-kilometer target zone, with combined beams from 400 mirrors remaining visible up to 80 kilometers away.[MIT Technology Review]
  • In an August petition, organizations including DarkSky International and the American Bird Conservancy asked the FCC to reverse its launch order and conduct a National Environmental Policy Act review.[MIT Technology Review]
  • Reflect Orbital stated in a March regulatory filing that viewing the test satellite through a telescope larger than 12 inches could pose optical safety hazards to human eyes, though severe injury was deemed unlikely.[MIT Technology Review]
  • Reflect Orbital CEO Ben Nowack contested the study's conclusions, stating that operational safeguards and exclusion zones account for atmospheric light scattering.[MIT Technology Review]

What remains uncertain

  • It remains unresolved whether the FCC or international regulators have the legal authority to govern space-based optical reflection rather than radio-frequency communications.[MIT Technology Review]
  • Researchers note that Reflect Orbital has not publicly released technical modeling data or specific parameters for its planned anti-scattering safeguards.[MIT Technology Review]

Sources