Night-Sky Brightening: 4,000 Orbital Mirrors Target Earth Illumination in 2026

A California startup, Reflect Orbital, plans to deploy about 4,000 55-meter-wide mirrors in low Earth orbit to reflect sunlight back to Earth at night, with Earendil-1 launching in April 2026 to illuminate nighttime solar-power sites and other critical areas. The project has sparked backlash from astronomers, environmentalists, and sleep researchers due to potential sky brightness and telescope interference, as well as concerns about wildlife disruption and governance since private entities would control illumination. Simulations suggest beams could be bright enough to affect observations, and atmospheric scattering could spread light beyond the target zone, raising questions about data loss and fairness across borders.**