A California startup called Reflect Orbital is seeking a federal license to launch a constellation of up to 4,000 satellites, each equipped with a large reflective mirror, to beam sunlight down to specific areas of Earth at night. The company calls the idea “sunlight on demand” and says it could help solar farms generate power after dark, illuminate disaster zones, extend growing seasons for crops, and even light up outdoor events. Its first test satellite, planned for this year, would deploy an 18-by-18-foot mirror in low Earth orbit and cast a soft, moving glow roughly four times brighter than a full moon over a five-kilometer-wide area.
But scientists and astronomers are raising serious alarms, as you would imagine. They say the satellites would dramatically worsen light pollution, potentially disrupting wildlife, human sleep cycles, and circadian health, and could blind stargazers or damage telescope instruments. Experts also warn that a malfunctioning mirror could spin out of control and flash unpredictably across the sky. If the full constellation is built by 2030, they say the satellites would rank among the brightest objects visible at night. The FCC comment period on the proposal closed earlier this month.
Source: NY Times
