Astronomers Object To This New Sunlight-As-A-Service Program — Here's Why

At face value, there's a lot to like about Reflect Orbital's plan to build a constellation of satellites capable of reflecting sunlight onto Earth's surface after sunset. The U.S. company claims the system could serve a range of useful purposes, such as providing extra light for solar farms that would otherwise spend more time in darkness. It could also provide illumination over a broad area for search-and-rescue operations where working around the clock can save lives. It could extend operating hours at industrial sites and even improve harvests. The project is still in the planning stage, but astronomers are already voicing concerns that the sun-reflecting satellites could sound the death knell for Earth-based exploration of the universe.

The American Astronomical Society (AAS), along with 27 other scientific organizations, is warning of potentially devastating consequences. One major concern is that the reflected sunlight could be bright enough to overwhelm sensitive image sensors on telescopes, ruining images and rendering observations unusable. Even when the satellites are not directly in a telescope's line of sight, light scattered by Earth's atmosphere could brighten the night sky, making it harder for the telescopes to detect faint and distant objects. Such a scenario could make it more challenging to search for potentially hazardous asteroids, too, which can be difficult to pick out even under ideal conditions.

Astronomers are also worried about the sheer scale of the proposed constellation, with tens of thousands of mirrors potentially transforming the night sky. Princeton University astrophysicist Gaspar Bakos commented: "This is not a 'concern' — this is like a bullet in your head. It's the end of ground-based astronomy." Attempting to reassure astronomers, Reflect Orbital said it will share satellite positions in advance and avoid directing reflections toward observatories, and also orient inactive satellites to minimize their visibility.

Reflect Orbital was founded by American engineers Ben Nowack and Tristan Semmelhack in 2021. The Hawthorne, California-based startup is planning to develop its technology in stages, testing individual spacecraft before attempting a large-scale commercial deployment.

First, it wants to launch a developmental satellite called Eärendil-0, which the company filed an application for with the Federal Communications Commission in October 2026. Scheduled for launch no earlier than April 2027, the satellite will not be carrying a mirror, so there will be no first attempt at reflecting sunlight from space. Instead, it will test the spacecraft's control, communications, and maneuvering systems, helping it to refine the design of subsequent missions. After that, Reflect Orbital wants to launch Eärendil-1, a demonstration satellite equipped with four steerable reflector panels that unfurl to form a 193-square-foot reflective array designed to direct sunlight onto targeted areas of Earth. This mission is set to get a lot of attention, as it will provide the first real test of the company's core technology in space.

Reflect Orbital wants to build a constellation of up to 50,000 satellites by 2035, a goal that, as we've seen, has alarmed many astronomers. The company is aiming for 36 satellite deployments in 2027, 1,000 in 2028, 5,000 by 2030, and 50,000 by 2035. But it's unclear as to whether Reflect Orbital can realistically deliver a constellation on anything like the proposed scale. Australian astronomer Michael Brown, for one, argues that providing even an hour of anything approaching daylight-level illumination at a single location could require tens of thousands of satellites, telling ABC News that the cost of such an ambitious endeavor could reach as much as $20 million. "It doesn't stack up," Brown concluded.