The Private Satellites Ruining Our Night Sky Legally

For thousands of years, humans have looked up at the night sky and seen the same stars that guided ancient mariners and inspired countless generations of astronomers, poets, and dreamers. This shared celestial heritage is now under threat from a new source of pollution: artificial satellites. Companies like SpaceX, Amazon, OneWeb, and others are racing to deploy massive constellations of internet satellites in low Earth orbit. Meanwhile, newer ventures like Reflect Orbital are proposing to launch thousands of space mirrors that could reflect sunlight onto Earth to extend daylight hours for solar power. These projects, while promising technological and economic benefits, come with a steep price for our view of the universe.