FCC Approves Test of One Sunlight-Reflecting Satellite

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission approved Reflect Orbital to test one satellite, Earendil-1, that will reflect sunlight to Earth. The Independent reported the approval covers a five-kilometre-wide beam intended for extra solar energy and wide-area lighting.

Earendil-1 will need to repoint every four minutes during operations. Reflect Orbital stated it aims to operate more than 50,000 such satellites by 2035 for agricultural, emergency response and industrial uses. The commission said risks of harm raised in comments about the reflector fall outside its role in authorizing radiofrequency spectrum.

The Independent reported the decision came despite public and astronomer opposition. SpaceX currently operates close to 11,000 Starlink satellites in low-Earth orbit. A near-miss between one Starlink satellite and a Chinese satellite occurred in December 2025.

In February, SpaceX filed with the FCC for one million additional satellites to support AI data centers, followed by a separate request for 100,000 more to interface with that constellation. Four other companies have filed proposals for tens of thousands of satellites each for similar AI data center purposes.

The FCC published a document titled “Spectrum Abundance for Weird Space Stuff” that describes emerging satellite activities including pharmaceutical manufacturing in orbit and private lunar missions.

The 1967 Outer Space Treaty states that outer space is not subject to national appropriation by claim of sovereignty, by means of use or occupation. Samantha Lawler, Associate Professor of Astronomy at the University of Regina, and Aaron Boley, Professor of Physics and Astronomy at the University of British Columbia, wrote the original analysis published by The Conversation.