Oversee Reflect Orbital's Satellite Mirror Project Before It's Too Late

The FCC just authorized Reflect Orbital to launch a mirror satellite capable of beaming sunlight onto Earth at night, and you need to watch this project closely and not let them steamroll future regulations. The agency punted on astronomy concerns entirely, calling them outside the scope of review. That's not a clean bill of health — that's a gap in oversight that a company with plans for 50,000 satellites by 2035 will absolutely exploit. The opposition here isn't fringe. The American Astronomical Society, DarkSky International, the European Southern Observatory, and the Royal Astronomical Society all filed objections. ESO's Betty Kioko called it "an existential threat" to optical astronomy. Nearly 2,000 public comments opposed the proposal. The risks go beyond stargazing — nocturnal ecosystems, aviation safety, and the permanent transformation of the night sky are all on the table if this scales up unchecked. Reflect Orbital's promises of "precise control" and stakeholder engagement are voluntary and unverified. Congress needs to ensure that any future multi-satellite deployment faces rigorous, binding review — not another regulatory sidestep. Please make this a priority before a single experimental satellite becomes a constellation no one voted for.

First sent on July 17 by Progressive Action