Company imitates reflection of sun from mirrors, prompting pushback from some scientists, environmentalists and California locals

Company imitates reflection of sun from mirrors, prompting pushback from some scientists, environmentalists and California locals

Reflect Orbital, the startup attempting to offer sunlight on-demand with in-space mirrors, announced the purchase of two launches today from Indian launcher Skyroot Aerospace. The deal includes: * One launch on Skyroot’s Vikram-1 launch vehicle, which debuted in July, and can carry ~350kg to LEO. * One launch on Skyroot’s upgraded Vikram-1U vehicle, which is expected to fly its first mission in Q1 2027, and will be capable of carrying ~550kg to LEO. Reflect Orbital did not disclose the cost of each launch, or when the missions would fly. **Precious inventory:** The deal comes amid a launch capacity crisis that has forced some operators to buy their own dedicated vehicles, as SpaceX has stopped accepting reservations after 2029 for its popular Transporter rideshare program. Despite that, companies are still finding ways to get to orbit. For example, in August, Portal Space Systems announced it purchased a full SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket for Portal’s Motus Via Sol mission in 2028. Portal doesn’t expect to fill the Falcon 9 to the brim, however, and made a deal with Maverick Space Systems who later filled most of the available space with 10 Kepler satellites. A spokesperson from Reflect Orbital told Payload the company “is the primary and only payload at this time.” **Blinding lights:** In July, Reflect Orbital received FCC approval to fly its first in-space mirror-satellite—Eärendil-1—but the company’s larger plan is to fly a constellation of ~50,000 mirrors to provide sunlight on Earth after dark. The idea is to use the constellation to provide extra sunlight for terrestrial solar farms to generate power after sunset, but the company also plans to provide sunlight for everything from search-and-rescue operations, to nighttime concerts. Related Stories Startups • VC/PE ## Seraphim Space Launches Space Academy Thinking of going back to school? Seraphim Space is taking applications. ISAM • Startups • VC/PE ## Exclusive: Rendezvous Robotics Raises $20M to Develop Self-Assembling Spacecraft Rendezvous Robotics is developing technology to allow future satellites to launch in pieces that can self-assemble in space. Startups • Technology • VC/PE ## MP Space Raises AUD $23M to Scale Satellite Battery Manufacturing MP Space’s batteries launched for the first time last week with an undisclosed customer on SpaceX’s Bandwagon-5 mission, and already the company has orders to support 500+ spacecraft. Launch • Rockets ## Cowboy Space Reveals Big Iron Data Center Rocket Cowboy Space pulled back the curtain on Big Iron—a launch vehicle whose upper stage is designed to remain in orbit as a megawatt-class data center. More Stories Pro ## How Space Companies Can Prepare for a Potential Launch Gap Max PuhalevichOctober 14, 2026October 14, 2026 Share * Twitter * Linkedin * Facebook * Copy * Email This content is restricted to subscribers The post Space Companies Should Start Preparing for a Potential Launch Gap, Including by Raising Capital appeared first on Payload Pro. Keep reading Load More

Reflect Orbital, the startup behind the in-space mirrors, announced the purchase of two launches from Indian launcher Skyroot Aerospace.

Welcome aboard, @reflectorbital. 🚀 Two dedicated launches on our Vikram rockets will take their future spacecraft to orbit. Reflect Orbital builds mirrors that orbit Earth and reflect sunlight to cho...

Ein US-Unternehmen will Tausende Satelliten ins All schicken, um mit Spiegeln die Nachtseite der Erde zu beleuchten. Forschende warnen vor Gefahren für Astronomie, Natur - und den Menschen. Von Jan Ke...

astrophysique, astronomie, cosmologie, astroparticules.

Sun-reflecting space mirrors proposed by U.S. startup Reflect Orbital will have an even more devastating effect on the night sky around the world than previously thought, a study has found.

Sun-reflecting space mirrors proposed by U.S. startup Reflect Orbital will have an even more devastating effect on the night sky around the world than previously thought, a study has found.

ReflectOrbital is planning to launch a $18\times18$\,m mirror in space at a $\sim$600\,km altitude to illuminate a $2.5$\,km radius circular patch on Earth. The pilot satellite, called EARENDIL-1, is ...

C'est un projet fou qui va voir le jour ! La société américaine Reflect Orbital va lancer son premier-satellite miroir, qui va dévier les rayons du soleil et qui agira comme le faisceau d'un phare pou...

Telescopes. Science Funding Cuts. The Commercialization of the night sky and what we can do to change it.

Telescopes. Science Funding Cuts. The Commercialization of the night sky and what we can do to change it.

ReflectOrbital is planning to launch a $18\times18$\,m mirror in space at a $\sim$600\,km altitude to illuminate a $2.5$\,km radius circular patch on Earth. The pilot satellite, called EARENDIL-1, is ...