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FCC OKs Eärendil-1 Beam Satellite, Astronomers Warn Brightness

7/11/2026

Summary

Story summary

The FCC approved radio equipment for the Eärendil-1 satellite and said its mirror lies outside FCC jurisdiction.
The satellite will orbit at about 625 km in a near-polar path.
It will deploy an 18 × 18-meter Mylar reflector that sends a five-kilometer-wide sunlight beam to ground sites.
Reflect Orbital must deorbit each satellite within 25 years, can angle mirrors away, and faces astronomers’ warning that a constellation could become the brightest objects in orbit.

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Story summary

The FCC approved radio equipment for the Eärendil-1 satellite and said its mirror lies outside FCC jurisdiction.
The satellite will orbit at about 625 km in a near-polar path.
It will deploy an 18 × 18-meter Mylar reflector that sends a five-kilometer-wide sunlight beam to ground sites.
Reflect Orbital must deorbit each satellite within 25 years, can angle mirrors away, and faces astronomers’ warning that a constellation could become the brightest objects in orbit.