The first launch could occur as early as late this year. The FCC\u2019s role in approval was related to the allocation of the radio frequency spectrum the satellite will use, versus the reflector\u2019s overall impact. Reflect Orbital plans to launch three unfoldable test reflectors three months apart, starting with this year\u2019s first approved launch of E\u00e4rendil-1. Reflect Orbital CEO Ben Nowack states that these first three will also be used as revenue generating vehicles for the company. The FCC approval notes a near-polar, 88 degree inclination orbit 625 kilometers from the surface of the Earth for the first launch, suggesting a Vandenberg launch, probably with SpaceX. <\/p>\n \u201cOur approach is incremental and test-and-learn,\u201d a Reflect Orbital spokesperson told Universe Today. \u201cOur first milestone is this single demonstration satellite. What we learn from this test mission will shape everything that comes next, including the design of future satellites, the markets we serve, how we engage communities and the operational practices we put in place.\u201d<\/p>\n Putting reflectors in space is actually a very old idea, going back to the Vietnam war and the early space age. Russia fielded a 20-meter space mirror known as Znamya-2<\/a> in 1992. Deployed from the late Mir space station, Znamya 2 created a 5 kilometer light patch as bright as a Full Moon that traversed Europe early on the morning of February 4th, 1993.<\/p>\n The mission name comes from a character from Lord of the Rings who carried the light of the morning star on his brow. For context, the Echo-1 communications satellite fielded by NASA in 1960 featured a balloon 30-meters in diameter, just under twice the span of E\u00e4rendil-1. <\/p>\n Reflect Orbital\u2019s plan is to use on-demand solar for everything from extending working hours to disaster relief and agriculture. Read between the lines, and the U.S. Department of Defense could also potentially be a prime consumer of this technology. Certainly, the ability to generate and sell solar power at peak times has a lucrative appeal to the company. <\/p>\n Of course, the push back on the plan extends beyond the astronomical community. Reflect Orbital states that the plan for E\u00e4rendil-1 is to show the ability to project the brightness of a Full Moon at magnitude -12.6 magnitude over a 3-mile wide area. But all that brightness would be concentrated in a pinpoint source, rather than a half and degree-wide Moon. Also, the goal of generating solar power from such a source suggests that Reflect Orbital has a much brighter goal in mind. <\/p>\n The night sky has been under siege over the past decade, as SpaceX\u2019s Starlink, China\u2019s rival Qianfan \u2018Thousand Sails\u2019<\/a> mega constellation and AST Space Mobile\u2019s Bluewalker<\/a> and Bluebird satellites have all taken to the night skies. These were all incidental reflectors, photo-bombing the twilight sky view. What Reflect Orbital envisions seems more like it\u2019s in direct conflict with the nighttime sky. <\/p>\n The company is aware of concerns, and has stated their wish to work with astronomical community to provide pinpoint service while announcing when and where the sunlight beams will be deployed. What would be key if this constellation of mirrors comes to pass would be the creation of exclusion zones for dark sky preserves and major observatories.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, this might also mean that the truly dark natural skies on your doorstep might soon become a thing of the past. We already see a marked difference at nightfall now. The next \u2018star\u2019 you wish upon may very well be an artificial one. All-sky surveys like the Vera C. Rubin observatory took decades to go from planning to seeing first light. They\u2019re an investment on a national scale, threatened by obsolescence shortly after the observatory shutter opens. Plus, if this venture proves lucrative, perhaps the next startup in the field won\u2019t be as interested in preserving the night sky. <\/p>\n Beyond the impact on astronomy, there\u2019s safety concerns surrounding the project in terms of the public and aviation, as well as the impact on nocturnal wildlife, plus the potential for bright flashing objects in the sky to confuse satellite based star-trackers and more. <\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/0x0_20260716_230416.webp\"\/)
<\/a> A future fleet of orbital mirrors. Credit: Reflect Orbital.<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Znamya-2_20260716_231336.jpg\"\/)
<\/a> The Znamya-2 reflector, shortly after release from Mir. Credit: RSC Energia.<\/p>\n![\"Reflect](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Screenshot_2026-07-16_122314_20260716_230639.png\"\/)
<\/a> Reflect Orbital engineers. Credit: Reflect Orbital.<\/p>\n