An American startup wants to sell sunlight after dark. Who gets a say?
Reflect Orbital wants to use giant mirrors in space to light up the ground at night, and there are few rules to regulate what they can do.
Reflect Orbital, an American startup, has secured two Indian rocket launches to test their innovative service: nighttime sunlight delivery. The California-based company plans to place large mirrors in low-Earth orbit to reflect sunlight onto specific ground locations. The primary applications include powering solar farms after sunset and aiding search-and-rescue missions.
However, the project raises significant regulatory questions about whose jurisdiction will oversee the redirected sunlight. Despite a US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approval for Reflect Orbital's first orbital demonstrator, Eärendil-1, the agency did not address optical effects, as astronomy lies outside its regulatory scope.
This oversight has prompted astronomers to challenge the FCC's decision. India, through its Skyroot Aerospace and the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe), will also need to grapple with the question as it authorises two dedicated launches for Reflect Orbital. The lack of clear regulations may lead to uncontrolled atmospheric scattering, where reflected sunlight could affect broader areas than intended, potentially impacting uninvolved communities, neighboring observatories, or other nations.
The experiment could become a commercial service, complicating the issue even further, as determining responsibility and jurisdiction for light affecting multiple countries becomes increasingly challenging.
Written by urgent.news from The Conversation AU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
