Earlier this year, a California startup received approval to launch a 59-foot mirror into orbit. Two years later, the demonstration could redirect sunlight onto chosen points on Earth, allowing crews to keep working after dark

Night normally means the end of solar power, outdoor work and natural daylight. But a California startup is trying to change that basic rule by putting a giant reflector in orbit. On July 9, 2026, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission approved Reflect Orbital’s Eärendil-1 demonstration satellite, allowing the company to test an 18-by-18-meter, or roughly 59-by-59-foot, mirror designed to redirect sunlight toward selected locations on Earth after sunset.

The idea sounds almost like science fiction, but the underlying physics is straightforward. Sunlight is already reaching the spacecraft because it is high above Earth and can remain in sunlight even when the ground below has entered darkness.