FCC approves Reflect Orbital's Earendil-1 to beam sunlight to Earth
Technology
The FCC just OK'd Reflect Orbital's plan to launch Earendil-1, a satellite with a huge 60-foot mirror that will beam sunlight down to Earth, lighting up a nine-square-mile area as bright as a full moon for five minutes at a time.
While the company says it could help with things like nighttime solar power and emergency lighting, nearly 2,000 public comments, including from astronomers and biologists, have pushed back, warning it could mess with deep-space research, wildlife sleep cycles, and even ocean life.
Reflect orbital expansion raises scientific concern
Reflect Orbital isn't stopping at one: there are plans for 1,000 satellites by 2028 and possibly 50,000 by 2035.
Scientists are still worried about the environmental fallout, but for now, the project is moving ahead.