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Space
Space
Science
Mike Wall

The FCC just gave Reflect Orbital permission to launch its 1st space mirror to orbit. Tens of thousands more could follow

Reflect Orbital co-founder and CEO Ben Nowack with the company's Earendil-1 demonstration satellite, which is slated to launch to Earth orbit sometime in 2026.

The first of perhaps tens of thousands of sunlight-directing space mirrors just got cleared for liftoff.

California-based startup Reflect Orbital just got a license from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to launch and operate its first demonstration satellite, a spacecraft that will unfurl a reflective surface that measures about 60 feet (18 meters) on a side.

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