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Reflect Orbital stages California night-light demonstration
Reflect Orbital conducted a nighttime lighting demonstration near Lone Pine, California, as part of its ambition to launch 50,000 satellites over the next decade to illuminate areas after dark.
Reflect Orbital conducted a nighttime lighting demonstration near Lone Pine in California's Sierra Nevada region. The startup aims to launch 50,000 satellites over the next decade to illuminate parts of the world after dark.
The California demonstration used large mobile lights near Mount Whitney earlier this month. Reflect Orbital compared their radiance with a full moon, while one local resident described the lights as blinding.
In July, the Federal Communications Commission approved the company's proposal for an initial demonstration satellite to launch next year. The proposed system would use a mirror 59 feet in diameter to reflect sunlight toward Earth in beams three miles wide, with brightness ranging from moonlight to noon sunlight.
A company spokesperson said search-and-rescue teams were expected to be its first customers. Reflect Orbital partnered with a local search-and-rescue team for the demonstration, which the spokesperson described as a test alongside potential users.
Four groups represented by Earthjustice asked the FCC in August to reconsider its approval. They raised concerns about problems that mirrored satellites reflecting light back toward Earth could cause.
Reflect Orbital says it has held substantive discussions with scientists and astronomers about avoiding astronomical sites, national parks and other areas rich in wildlife.