Reflect Orbital, a California-based startup, is preparing to launch a 60-foot prototype mirror into orbit as early as this summer. Named EARENDIL-1, the satellite would unfurl a mylar reflector at roughly 400 miles altitude and illuminate a three-mile-wide patch on Earth’s surface with sunlight.
The company has raised over $28 million, secured a $1.25 million US Air Force contract, and filed for an FCC license. Its roadmap targets 1,000 larger satellites by late 2028, 5,000 by 2030, and 50,000 by 2035, with the largest mirrors reaching 180 feet wide.
CEO Ben Nowack told media that the company aims to build something that could replace fossil fuels. Reflect Orbital markets the technology for powering solar plants around the clock, illuminating disaster zones, replacing streetlights, and extending agricultural seasons, charging approximately $5,000 per hour of reflected sunlight under annual contracts.
Scientists have responded with alarm. Northwestern University neurobiologist Martha Hotz Vitaterna warned that the implications for wildlife and all life are enormous, citing potential disruption to circadian rhythms governing sleep, migration, and breeding across species.
Astronomers have been sharper still, with the Royal Astronomical Society’s Robert Massey calling the plan “pretty catastrophic” for astronomy. Unlike Starlink satellites, which produce light pollution incidentally, these mirrors are designed to be maximally bright. Research from NASA’s Ames Research Center projects satellite trails could affect one-third of Hubble images as orbital numbers climb toward 560,000 by 2040.
Critics also question the physics of the whole startup. Each mirror illuminates a given spot for only minutes before moving on, and achieving meaningful sunlight intensity at a single location could require thousands of satellites working in relay. The FCC is not required to assess ecological impacts when licensing satellites, a regulatory gap that has frustrated researchers worldwide.
