Unlike constellations such as Starlink, which can unintentionally reflect light during some passes, Reflect Orbital satellites are to be designed to intentionally direct a beam of light towards the Earth.
The company calls its idea “selling light” and argues that precise, short-lived illuminations will extend the day for energy, agriculture and city lighting, while minimizing the impact on the surroundings.
“Our service is highly localized. Each reflection covers a defined area for a limited time, and does not provide continuous or extensive lighting,” explain the company's representatives.
Buy yourself more light for winter days
In the test plan satellites with a foldable mirror up to approximately 18 meters wide are plannedwith an area of nearly 325 m2. According to the company's calculations, a single reflector could illuminate an area with a diameter of up to approx. 5 kilometers, increasing the brightness up to four times compared to the full Moon.
In subsequent generations, the mirrors would reach approximately 54 meters in diameter, increasing the range and intensity of illumination. The EARENDIL-1 demonstrator is to operate in a heliosynchronous orbit, staying near the border of day and night to reflect rays from the illuminated hemisphere to the darkened one – and temporarily extend twilight.
However, the scientific and expert communities react to these announcements with strong opposition. Astronomers fear disruptions in sky observations and a permanent change in the appearance of the firmament. “The central goal of this project is to illuminate the sky and lengthen the day, which is obviously disastrous for astronomy,” Massey emphasizes.
Samantha Lawler, an astronomer at the University of Regina, calls the initiative a “terrible idea.” In her opinion even a single mirror could blind observers using telescopes or binocularsand with thousands of reflectors, amateur and professional observation of the sky in many places would be practically impossible.
Lawler also pays attention to aviation safety. Pilots could be distracted sudden flashes occurring during rotation or repositioning of mirrors. “One small company in California can, for a few million dollars and with the decision of one federal agency, change the night sky for everyone in the world,” he says.
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The technology itself and its economic sense are also questionable. Fionagh Thomson, a space ethics researcher from Durham University, reminds us that similar ideas have already failed.
The Russian Znamya program in 1993 and 1999 failed after short tests, and the satellites burned up on entry into the atmosphere. Thomson adds that even if the system operated efficiently, the light reflected from orbit would be thousands of times weaker than direct solar radiation. In practice this means that powering photovoltaic farms with such “night sun” would provide only a fraction of standard energy productionmaking the project extremely expensive compared to the effect.
The risks are not limited to light pollution. Large, light structures in low orbit are susceptible to micrometeoroids and debris. If damaged, this can lead to uncontrolled spinning and unpredictable flashes over large areas.
Lawler cites the example of NASA's Advanced Composite Solar Sail system, which went into unintended rotation after being deployed in August 2024. In the case of mirrors Reflect Orbital, a similar failure could result in chaotic flares over populated areas. Experts also warn of increasing crowding in low orbit and an increase in the risk of collisions as many countries and companies plan to deploy thousands more satellites. After the mission ends, the mirrors would be returned to the atmosphere, which, according to some scientists, may exacerbate the problem of the growing environmental burden of metals from deorbitation.
Reflect Orbital declares that it will conduct an environmental impact assessment after the launch of EARENDIL-1, but astronomers argue that such a review should precede any approval or deployment of devices.
