Giant Space Mirror Tests Reflecting Sunlight Back to Earth for Extra Energy

A proposal to create “sunlight on demand” from space has moved forward after the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved a test satellite carrying a giant reflective mirror designed to redirect sunlight back to Earth.

The project, developed by the California-based company Reflect Orbital, has elicited debate about its potential benefits and risks as well as concern over the manner in which the FCC went about the approval.

The FCC approved the Reflect Orbital’s Earendil-1 satellite, which the company says will test whether the sun‘s rays can be reflected onto specific locations on Earth. According to the proposal, the reflected light would cover an area of about 5 kilometers (3 miles) wide, and the satellite would need to reposition its mirror every four minutes as it orbits the planet.

The technology could support agriculture, emergency response and other industrial sectors by reflecting sunlight onto selected areas of Earth for wide-area lighting and potentially additional solar-energy generation. The approval covers a single demonstration satellite, but Reflect Orbital said it hopes to eventually deploy a much larger network.

However, the proposal has generated opposition from astronomers and other experts who warn that large reflective satellites could have unintended consequences.

“This approval is deeply concerning, and reflects a pattern we have seen repeatedly in the commercialization of space: act first, assess later, and let someone else deal with the consequences,” University of Texas at Austin professor Moriba Jah told Newsweek.

Newsweek reached out to the FCC by email and Reflect Orbital by online contact form for comment.

A single satellite alone would offer “no benefits,” University of Regina associate professor of astronomy Samantha Lawler said.

“It can only provide light a few times brighter than moonlight, which would be continuously moving and only able to shine on the same location for four minutes,” Lawler told Newsweek. “That is absolutely useless for pretty much every application they suggest. They require hundreds of satellites simultaneously shining on the same location to provide enough light for solar power.”

The proposed space-mirror system has sparked opposition from astronomers, environmental groups and some researchers, who argue that the effort could create a new form of light pollution. Critics warn that bright reflections could interfere with astronomical observations, overwhelm sensitive telescope instruments, and make it more difficult to study faint objects in the night sky. Some astronomers have questioned whether the technology is practical, noting that a large number of satellites may be needed to provide consistent illumination for any meaningful period of time.

Others have raised concerns about potential impact on wildlife, human health and space sustainability. Artificial nighttime lighting can disrupt natural day-night cycles that many species rely on for navigation, feeding and reproduction, while some experts warn that additional light exposure could affect human circadian rhythms.

Critics have also pointed to possible safety risks for pilots and drivers from bright reflections and warned that deploying thousands of mirror satellites could further crowd low-Earth orbit, adding to concerns about collisions and the long-term management of space traffic.

The FCC acknowledged that concerns had been raised about potential harms but said the issues were unrelated to the agency’s role in authorizing the use of radio-frequency spectrum. As a result, the test mission was approved.

Therein lies another concern, and perhaps the biggest one, Jah told Newsweek.

“What troubles me most is not the technology itself, but the governance posture behind it,” Jah said. “The FCC dismissed over 1,600 public comments raising concerns about harm to astronomy, wildlife, human health and circadian biology. Their response was essentially: those concerns fall outside our jurisdiction. No other federal body formally reviewed the mirror's environmental consequences either. So the scientific community ends up shouting into a jurisdictional void, while a private company gets a green light to alter the night sky for the entire planet.”

Lawler is also worried that the letters of opposition were dismissed.

“I am extremely concerned that the FCC has approved this test satellite despite hundreds of letters of opposition from the general public, including at least one formal petition to deny,” Lawler said. “The FCC says that they don’t have to listen to those concerns because they all involve optical light, and the FCC only regulates radio emissions. The problem is that there is not a U.S. federal agency that regulates optical light from satellites, or the environmental effects of satellites, so this is a gigantic loophole American satellite companies are now exploiting.”

What Happens Next

For now, Earendil-1 represents an early test of whether sunlight can be intentionally reflected from orbit to Earth. The mission could help determine whether the concept is practical while also providing new information about the environmental and societal questions raised by bringing additional light to the night sky.

Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Samantha Beech and Dave Siminoff.

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This story was originally published July 13, 2026 at 2:42 PM.