Sunlight at Night? Astronomers Fire Back at Controversial FCC Approva…

The FCC has approved Reflect Orbital's Eärendil-1 proof-of-concept satellite, which uses an 18-by-18-meter reflective surface to redirect sunlight to Earth after dark. Astronomers are mounting strong opposition, warning the technology and the company's planned constellation of up to 50,000 mirrors would interfere with scientific observations and alter the night sky. If you build ground station optics, telescope sensors, or night-sky monitoring systems, Reflect Orbital just became your adversary and your customer at the same time. The FCC has green-lit orbital light infrastructure; astronomers will need ways to filter it, and anyone selling into observatories or space agencies will face de-facto demand for countermeasures.