Billionaire Startup Plans 4,000 Sunlight-Reflecting Satellites to Solve "Light on Demand" Crisis
Vandenberg, Calif. — In a move that could fundamentally alter the human experience of darkness, California startup Reflect Orbital announced today that its EARENDIL-1 demonstration satellite has received FCC provisional approval to launch into low Earth orbit.
The satellite, when fully deployed, will release a constellation of 4,000 mirrors measuring 18×18 meters each. These reflective discs will capture sunlight and beam it back to Earth with military-grade precision, creating what the company calls a “solar power extension and emergency illumination” network.