| By Coco Liu
A startup that aims to keep solar farms running at night by reflecting sunlight from space has sparked controversy among astronomers whose work relies on dark skies.
California-based Reflect Orbital recently requested a license from the Federal Communications Commission to launch a demonstration satellite in 2026, as its first step to creating a constellation that will redirect sunlight to precise locations on demand. The startup says it plans to launch dozens more over the next two years, with a goal of having about 4,000 satellites in orbit by 2030.
A Falcon 9 rocket with multiple Starlink satellites. Photographer: George Rose/Getty Images North America
Reflect Orbital’s plan has won the backing of investors that include Sequoia Capital and tech billionaire Baiju Bhatt. But while its mission is to extend the operating hours of solar farms, astronomers say doing so will come at the expense of their research.
“Illuminating the ground at night with 4,000 bright satellites of this kind is potentially ruinous to state-of-the-art, ground-based optical astronomy,” says Anthony Tyson, the chief scientist of the Rubin Observatory, which will begin its sky survey next year.
While Reflect Orbital says the redirected light from its first demonstration satellite will be similar to the illumination of a full moon, that would still be “blindingly bright” for sensitive astronomy cameras, Tyson says.
The American Astronomical Society launched a survey in August asking its members to weigh in on the impact of Reflect Orbital’s proposed satellite. Of more than 1,400 astronomers who submitted their responses so far, the majority said that their work would be impacted.
Reflecting sunlight to the dark side of Earth may have other pitfalls. Scientists have documented how artificial light at night can disrupt the behavior of nocturnal species such as moths, frogs and bats, and degrade some of the benefits ecosystems provide. Light pollution can also have adverse impacts on human health, though with many large solar farms located far from population centers, that may be less of a concern. Reflect Orbital has pledged that it will assess the environmental impact and potential effects on local communities at every location the company serves.
“We understand that because our system introduces a new scale to redirect natural light, it will continuously raise important questions,” Reflect Orbital wrote in an emailed statement to Bloomberg Green. The startup says it is working with the astronomical community to mitigate potential impacts.
Read the whole story to learn more about the increasingly clogged skies. |