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FCC approves Reflect Orbital's mirror satellite for night-time illumination

By PulseAugur Editorial · [2 sources] ·

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has approved Reflect Orbital's request to launch Eärendil-1, a test satellite designed to reflect sunlight and illuminate Earth's night side. This satellite will carry a large Mylar mirror for this purpose. While the company aims to provide emergency lighting, astronomers have expressed concerns about the potential threat to optical astronomy. AI

RANK_REASON Regulatory approval for a satellite launch that has potential implications for astronomy.

Read on Mastodon — fosstodon.org →

AI-generated summary · Google Gemini · from 2 sources. How we write summaries →

FCC approves Reflect Orbital's mirror satellite for night-time illumination

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Regulatory approval for a satellite launch that has potential implications for astronomy.
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COVERAGE [2]

  1. 36氪 (36Kr) TIER_1 中文(ZH) ·

    US FCC Approves Launch of Sun-Reflecting Satellite Program to Provide Emergency Lighting for Earth's Nighttime Areas

    美国联邦通信委员会（FCC）近日批准了一家初创企业的申请，允许其建造并发射一枚反光卫星，该卫星携带巨型聚酯薄膜（Mylar）反射镜，可将阳光反射回地球，为地球的夜间区域提供短暂应急照明。总部位于加利福尼亚州霍桑市的轨道反射公司（Reflect Orbital）于 7 月 9 日获得联邦通信委员会的许可。该企业计划发射一枚名为埃雅仁迪尔一号（Earendil-1）的试验卫星，并将其部署在近地轨道运行。（新浪财经）

  2. Mastodon — fosstodon.org TIER_1 English(EN) · [email protected] ·

    📰 The US Approves the Launch of a Mirror Satellite That Can Reflect Sunlight and Illuminate the Earth at Night The FCC authorized Reflect Orbital to launch the

    📰 The US Approves the Launch of a Mirror Satellite That Can Reflect Sunlight and Illuminate the Earth at Night The FCC authorized Reflect Orbital to launch the mirror satellite Eärendil-1. “For optical astronomy, this poses an existential threat,” the European Southern Observator…

    LINKS web.archive.org/…/reflect-orbital-earendi… web.archive.org

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