FCC approves Reflect Orbital’s Earendil‑1 satellite to beam sunlight to Earth's night side

The United States Federal Communications Commission has granted a license for Reflect Orbital’s demonstration satellite Earendil‑1. The low‑Earth‑orbit satellite carries an 18‑metre (approximately 60‑foot) deployable mirror that can focus sunlight onto a targeted area on the ground, producing a beam about 5 kilometres wide at night.

The startup envisions a future constellation of up to 50,000 similar mirrors to extend solar‑panel output beyond daylight, illuminate disaster zones, replace streetlights, and provide nighttime power for solar farms. Astronomical and dark‑sky groups, including the American Astronomical Society, raised objections over potential telescope interference, light‑pollution, and eye‑safety risks. The FCC ruled that these concerns fall outside its regulatory authority and concluded that the approval serves the public interest. If successful, the satellite will be the brightest ever launched, appearing as bright as Venus to observers outside the beam and four times brighter than a full moon within it.