該公司提出的應用場景包括：在夜間為太陽能板供電以倍增發電量、延長農業生長季節以提高產量、取代路燈照明、延長工業作業時間，以及為搜救行動和大型活動提供照明。然而，文章作者指出，許多應用場景經不起推敲——植物與動物都有晝夜節律，人為改變光照時間可能擾亂授粉、害蟲防治等生態過程，農業產量反而可能下降。
天文學家和環保人士對此計畫提出嚴重質疑。美國天文學會警告鏡面衛星可能損壞精密觀測設備、干擾飛行員視線並造成永久性眼部傷害。歐洲南方天文台的研究顯示，即使衛星未直接照射觀測者，每顆衛星的亮度也堪比金星，五萬顆衛星將使夜空亮度增加三到四倍。文章作者援引希臘神話中法厄同駕馭太陽馬車的悲劇，警示人類試圖控制太陽的野心可能帶來災難性後果，並批評聯邦通訊委員會在發放許可時未考慮太空活動的環境影響。
Reflect Orbital, a startup founded by former SpaceX intern Ben Nowack and Tristan Semmelhack, plans to launch 50,000 mirrored satellites by 2035 to control and monetize sunlight. The company's first satellite, Eärendil-1, is named after a Tolkien character. These ultra-thin reflector panels would beam adjustable sunlight onto roughly three-mile-wide patches of Earth. The company has raised nearly $29 million, holds an estimated $187 million valuation, and received FCC approval for a demonstration launch.
Proposed applications include powering solar panels at night to potentially double global solar output, extending agricultural growing seasons, replacing streetlights, prolonging industrial working hours, and illuminating search-and-rescue operations. However, the columnist argues that many of these use cases are problematic. Plants and animals depend on circadian rhythms, and disrupting natural darkness could impair pollination, pest control by nocturnal creatures like bats, and overall crop development—potentially reducing rather than boosting yields.
Astronomers and environmental experts have raised serious objections. The American Astronomical Society warned of risks to sensitive equipment, pilot vision, and permanent eye damage from telescope use. Research from the European Southern Observatory showed each satellite would shine as brightly as Venus, and the full constellation would make the night sky three to four times brighter through atmospheric light scattering. The author draws parallels to the Greek myth of Phaethon—who lost control of the sun chariot with catastrophic results—and criticizes the FCC for not assessing the environmental impact of space activities before granting launch permits.