Block FCC Authorization of Reflect Orbital's EARENDIL-1 Satellite

Block the FCC from authorizing Reflect Orbital's EARENDIL-1 satellite and halt any path toward their proposed 4,000-mirror constellation. The company has already applied for FCC authorization to launch in April 2026, and the regulatory framework has a gaping hole: FCC licensing under 47 CFR Part 25 does not require environmental impact statements covering ground-based light pollution. This could sail through without anyone being forced to reckon with the consequences. The consequences are severe. The IAU estimates the full constellation would render 30–40% of professional observatories unable to conduct planned science, with each mirror appearing as bright as a crescent moon over ground areas for 2–5 minutes at a time. Light pollution is already growing 10% per year and driving documented insect population declines of 30–50%. On a planet already in ecological crisis, approving a system whose entire business model depends on maximizing reflectivity is indefensible. Push for mandatory NEPA review before any FCC license is granted, and demand real interagency coordination between the FCC, NASA, NOAA, and DOI. The FCC should not be the sole gatekeeper for decisions that affect every ecosystem on Earth that depends on natural darkness. Use every tool available to stop this authorization.