FCC · Canada · MIT Technology Review
This firm’s aims to deploy space mirrors could jeopardize the night sky for many
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A company that plans to beam sunlight from space to Earth on demand might unintentionally brighten the night sky for many more people than intended, according to a new study.
Key facts
- Later this year, the US company Reflect Orbital plans to launch a test satellite called Eärendil-1 that will extend an 18-by-18-meter mirror in orbit
- Combining the beams of 400 satellites, which Reflect Orbital eventually plans to do, would yield a light as bright as 10,000 full moons within the five-kilometer area, or 2.4% as bright as the sun
- In August, a group of organisations including DarkSky International and the American Bird Conservancy urged the FCC to review its approval of the Eärendil-1 satellite
- Eventually, the company has said, it wants to place satellites high enough to provide light 24-7 to locations on Earth
Summary
Later this year, the US company Reflect Orbital plans to launch a test satellite called Eärendil-1 that will extend an 18-by-18-meter mirror in orbit. The case for doing this remains somewhat uncertain, but Reflect Orbital has said the goal is to prolong the hours of sunlight for various uses, including solar panel charging, emergency response, and military activities. The launch, which was approved by the Federal Communications Commission in July, has been met with disbelief by astronomers and environmental groups. Miroslav Kocifaj, an astronomer at the Slovak Academy of Sciences, and his colleagues have now calculated the broader effect on the night sky.