Maxwell's Electrodynamics Anchored in Light Emission Events: A Critique of the One-Way Light Speed Convention and a Proposed Space-Based Test

Maxwell’s equations describe electrodynamics as originating from source emission events in spacetime. Einstein’s 1905 special relativity reanchored these equations in inertial observer equivalence via an unmeasurable convention: the isotropy of the one-way speed of light. This convention renders simultaneity frame-dependent, requiring Lorentz transformations to preserve form invariance. We argue that the convention is load-bearing for relativity of simultaneity (RoS) and that a direct measurement of one-way light speed would reveal motion relative to fixed emission events, making RoS unnecessary. A space-based two-rod alignment experiment is proposed, using high-precision clocks on counter-moving spacecraft. Predicted clock discrepancies (order picoseconds at orbital velocities) would distinguish event-anchored kinematics from the conventional frame-equivalence picture, providing a first empirical distinction between the two anchorings.Keywords: special relativity, one-way light speed, synchrony convention, simultaneity, Maxwell equations, experimental test