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FCC Approves Reflect Orbital’s Earendil-1 Satellite, Caps Glare Risks

7/24/2026

Summary

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The Federal Communications Commission approved Reflect Orbital’s Earendil-1 satellite launch on Thursday.
Earendil-1’s thin-film reflector can direct sunlight to areas as small as five kilometres, extending solar-cell hours and providing illumination without ground infrastructure.
About 2,000 comments warned of glare and astronomical harm, prompting the FCC to limit approval to Earendil-1 and Reflect Orbital to pledge precise control and possible course adjustments.

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Story summary

The Federal Communications Commission approved Reflect Orbital’s Earendil-1 satellite launch on Thursday.
Earendil-1’s thin-film reflector can direct sunlight to areas as small as five kilometres, extending solar-cell hours and providing illumination without ground infrastructure.
About 2,000 comments warned of glare and astronomical harm, prompting the FCC to limit approval to Earendil-1 and Reflect Orbital to pledge precise control and possible course adjustments.