Earlier this year, the US Federal Communications Commission approved the construction and launch of a prototype mirror satellite designed to reflect the Sun’s rays onto patches Earth during nighttime, despite widespread protests by the astronomy community.
The “sunlight-as-a-serivce” concept being developed by space startup Reflect Orbital has proven highly controversial, with astronomers pointing out the obvious existential risks of having up to tens of thousands of satellites lighting up the night sky.
Earlier this month, as Sky and Telescope reports, Reflect Orbital conducted an early test of the idea by lighting up a mountainside in the California desert with powerful spotlights to simulate the future capabilities of its reflecting satellites. However, the company gave no notice to local astronomers, further enraging them.
A promotional photo shared by the company shows a bright orb in the distance, casting long shadows of low brush near Lone Pine, California, a level of brightness exceeding a full Moon. Local officials and even the local county government were seemingly blindsided by the test, and it remains unclear how — or whether — the company got permission for it in the first place.
