The Federal Communications Commission has approved a California startup's plan to launch a satellite designed to reflect sunlight down to targeted spots on Earth at night, a decision that has drawn sharp objections from astronomers who warn the technology could damage eyesight and permanently alter the night sky.

The FCC's Space Bureau approved the application from Reflect Orbital on July 9, clearing the company to launch and operate a demonstration satellite called Eärendil-1 for up to two years. The spacecraft carries an 18-by-18-meter, or roughly 59-by-59-foot, steerable mirror designed to redirect sunlight toward a chosen location on the ground after dark, producing a beam of light roughly five kilometers wide. According to the company, the illumination would be comparable to a full moon spread across several thousand acres, though anyone standing directly in the beam's path could see the satellite shine up to four times brighter than a full moon.

Reflect Orbital has described Eärendil-1 as the first step toward a much larger commercial venture: a planned constellation of as many as 50,000 mirror satellites the company hopes to have in orbit by 2035, offering what it calls "sunlight on demand." The company has pitched potential uses including powering solar farms around the clock, extending daylight hours for agricultural operations, supporting nighttime construction and industrial projects, and assisting search-and-rescue missions during emergencies.

The July 9 approval applies only to the single........

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