The first permit covers one orbital mirror — an 18-meter test, not a 50,000-satellite constellation
TL;DR
The FCC approved one 18-meter reflector test satellite, not Reflect Orbital's proposed 50,000 craft.
The first permit covers exactly one satellite: The FCC authorized Reflect Orbital to launch Eärendil-1 and test nighttime illumination with an 18-by-18-meter thin-film reflector. The order does not approve the company's proposed 50,000-satellite constellation.
Eärendil-1 weighs 142 kilograms and is planned for launch by the end of 2026 into a 600-to-650-kilometer low Earth orbit. The company said it will direct sunlight to selected ground areas for several minutes at a time, testing construction lighting, search and rescue, and longer operating hours for terrestrial solar farms.
The regulatory dispute centers on astronomy and ecology. Reflect Orbital's application drew nearly 1,900 comments. The European Southern Observatory estimated that the 50,000-craft version would raise background sky brightness at its facilities by a factor of three to four. The FCC said effects from the single Eärendil-1 on optical astronomy were outside the grounds for denying this spectrum authorization.
The company committed to working with NASA, the National Science Foundation, and astronomers. SpaceNews also reported nearly 1,500 comments on SpaceX's proposed million-satellite orbital data centers, but neither that filing nor the full Reflect system is part of this license. The approved numbers are one satellite, 142 kilograms, and 324 square meters of reflective area.
via SpaceNews / FCC / FCC Order
Eärendil-1 weighs 142 kilograms and is planned for launch by the end of 2026 into a 600-to-650-kilometer low Earth orbit. The company said it will direct sunlight to selected ground areas for several minutes at a time, testing construction lighting, search and rescue, and longer operating hours for terrestrial solar farms.
The regulatory dispute centers on astronomy and ecology. Reflect Orbital's application drew nearly 1,900 comments. The European Southern Observatory estimated that the 50,000-craft version would raise background sky brightness at its facilities by a factor of three to four. The FCC said effects from the single Eärendil-1 on optical astronomy were outside the grounds for denying this spectrum authorization.
The company committed to working with NASA, the National Science Foundation, and astronomers. SpaceNews also reported nearly 1,500 comments on SpaceX's proposed million-satellite orbital data centers, but neither that filing nor the full Reflect system is part of this license. The approved numbers are one satellite, 142 kilograms, and 324 square meters of reflective area.
via SpaceNews / FCC / FCC Order
