Deep joy - 50000 space mirrors on the way? Mind you, if they worked in reverse and shaded the earth instead I'd be interested... IMO the last thing we need is satellites heating up the earth even more than it is! 50000 mirrors would cover 450000 square miles (at 3x3 miles = 9sq miles a pop), and for comparison "AI" says the British Isles have an area of 121684 square miles...
EDIT: And seems the Russians already did it!
https://tinyurl.com/bddnmr5h
Via Slashdot:
https://uk.pcmag.com/networking/166087/fcc-approves-reflect-orbitals-giant-mirror-satellite-that-astronomers-hate
https://science.slashdot.org/story/26/07/10/2230254/fcc-approves-reflect-orbitals-space-mirror-satellite-that-astronomers-hate#comments
FCC Approves Reflect Orbital's Space Mirror Satellite That Astronomers Hate
Posted by BeauHD on Saturday July 11, 2026 @11:00AM from the sunlight-as-a-service dept.
The FCC has approved (PDF) Reflect Orbital's Earendil-1 test satellite, which will use a 60-by-60-foot mirror to reflect sunlight back to Earth after dark. "The reflected light from the satellite is supposed to span an area about 3 miles wide on the ground," reports PCMag. It comes despite objections from astronomers and environmental groups who are concerned that the satellites will unleash intrusive light pollution. From the report:
The approval is only for one satellite, dubbed Earendil-1, which is meant to test Reflect Orbital's technology for shining sunlight back to Earth. The satellite will boast a steerable thin-film reflector measuring about 60 feet by 60 feet, with the goal of powering solar farms at night or illuminating disaster-struck areas after dark to help rescue teams. Reflect Orbital envisions operating over 50,000 satellites by 2035, effectively surrounding the Earth with a fleet of mirrors. The proposal has faced stiff pushback from environmental groups and astronomers who are concerned that the satellites will unleash intrusive light pollution. The opposition has been so strong that the FCC received over 1,800 public comments on the application, many of them objecting to Reflect Orbital's plan for Earendil-1.
[...] [T]he FCC approved the satellite, noting the grant is only "for a single demonstration satellite" to test an innovative technology that could advance American leadership in space. "The Communications Act states that it is the policy of the United States to 'encourage the provision of new technologies and services to the public,' and Reflect Orbital's demonstration satellite is an example of a potentially groundbreaking technology that the Commission has found is in the public interest to support," the order says. But on the most controversial aspect of the satellite, the FCC said the concerns around Reflect Orbital's solar reflector are "unrelated to the Commission's role in authorizing use of radiofrequency spectrum, and even if the Commission had authority to review and condition these operations (which it does not), these harms are unlikely to occur.
In addition, the commission said that U.S. courts have blocked the FCC from using "a generalized public interest requirement beyond its statutory authority in regulating communications. Accordingly, the operations of a solar reflector in space would not be reviewed as part of the Bureau's public interest analysis." The regulator also noted that conducting an environmental review for the satellite went beyond its authority. Even if the FCC did have the power, the commission emphasized that the grant is for a single satellite, not 50,000. "The majority of these comments focus on a hypothetical plan to deploy tens of thousands of satellites, and those who argue the single satellite will harm the human environment do not demonstrate with specificity the potential harm will be caused by the single satellite, but rather rely on the same studies as the commenters objecting to a larger constellation," the FCC adds.
Edited by user
11 July 2026 15:31:41
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Reason: Not specified