The FCC's Space Bureau has been asked to approve a proposed launch next April for a satellite in non-geostationary orbit that will deploy mirrors to provide "sunlight on demand," according to the company's website.

Reflect Orbital, a startup company based in California, filed its application this past summer for a license for what it hopes will be the first of 4,000 mirrored satellites that it wants to place in low-Earth orbit by 2030. The April launch is being eyed for a demonstration satellite which will carry a mirror that measures 18-by-18 meters, or 60-by-60 feet. Sunlight's reflection by that envisioned constellation would extend daylight beyond twilight by as much as four hours, increasing solar-power production to locations where Reflect Global has customers.

The company says that its technology supports clean-energy generation - but astronomers, biologists and other scientists have raised questions about the prospect of light pollution on human and animal health and the ability to study the skies effectively.

Astronomers in particular have said that lighting up dark skies would impede their work, which uses sensitive cameras. According to published reports, Reflect Orbital recently began working with astronomers to minimize the mirrors' impact. on them. Meanwhile, scientists have observed how nocturnal species' lives can be disrupted and perhaps imperiled by artificial light during the night.

This past May, the US Air Force awarded the project a $1.25 million Small Business Innovation Research contract to support its progress.