Research institutions like the British Royal Astronomical Society and the European Southern Observatory have filed objections against the proposals, warning of significant losses in astronomical observations and the potential destruction of the starry night sky.

"It's absolutely the destruction of a central part of human heritage. " Astronomers are up in arms, protesting against a proposed constellation of tens of thousands of orbiting mirrors intended to reflect light onto ground-based solar power plants and SpaceX's envisioned one million orbiting data centers.