FCC clears Reflect Orbital's giant space mirror, sparking legal and astronomical concerns

The Federal Communications Commission granted Reflect Orbital permission to launch its inaugural space-mirror satellite, a device intended to bounce a five-kilometre-wide light beam back to Earth for applications ranging from agriculture to emergency response. A wave of objections from the American Astronomical Society and other groups warns that the illumination could impair sensitive telescope equipment, blind drivers and pilots, and cause permanent eye damage to observers using mid-size telescopes.

The FCC maintains that its jurisdiction covers only radio, television, wire and satellite communications, not the broader environmental and safety issues raised. Internationally, the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs points to the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, which allows peaceful use of space but obliges states to consider the interests of other parties, leaving room for diplomatic objections. Legal scholars suggest that individual countries, such as Canada, could enact environmental regulations to restrict the service, though enforcement remains uncertain. Reflect Orbital says it will cooperate with governments and scientific bodies, and the International Astronomical Union’s dark-sky centre is already studying the prototype’s impact, warning that a fleet of 50,000 mirrors could be catastrophic for astronomy.