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 planea enviar su primer satélite al espacio no antes de abril de 2027, pero el aparato no llevará el espejo con el que la empresa espera algún día reflejar luz solar hacia la Tierra. La compañía dijo que presentó una solicitud para la misión Eärendil-0 ante la Comisión Federal de Comunicaciones de Estados Unidos (FCC) el 30 de octubre y que la utilizará para probar las comunicaciones y el control de la nave. La misión añade un paso previo a Eärendil-1, el satélite de demostración que sí está diseñado para llevar un reflector. La distinción importa para interpretar el calendario: el primer vuelo previsto serviría para ensayar la plataforma, no para comprobar cómo ilumina el suelo un espejo en órbita. ## Qué probará el primer satélite Según el anuncio de Reflect Orbital, Eärendil-0 viajará como pasajero en una misión comercial compartida. Una vez en órbita, la empresa quiere comprobar el funcionamiento de la nave, mantener enlaces con tierra y ganar experiencia en su vuelo y orientación. La compañía afirma que utilizará esos resultados para los siguientes satélites de la serie. Su anuncio no identifica al proveedor del vuelo ni fija una fecha concreta posterior al límite de abril. La solicitud presentada para Eärendil-0 tampoco debe confundirse con una autorización ya concedida para esa misión. Eärendil-1 es un proyecto distinto. La Sociedad Astronómica Estadounidense informó que la FCC concedió en julio una licencia para desplegar y operar ese satélite con el espectro de radio solicitado. El diseño incluye un espejo de 18 por 18 metros destinado a reflejar luz sobre una zona de la superficie terrestre. La licencia corresponde a un solo aparato, no a toda la constelación que la empresa contempla. ## Dos lanzamientos contratados, todavía sin fecha pública El 14 de octubre, Reflect Orbital anunció la compra de dos lanzamientos dedicados a la empresa india Skyroot Aerospace. El primero utilizará el cohete Vikram-1 y el segundo, el Vikram-1U, que sigue en desarrollo. El comunicado no especifica qué satélites viajarán en esos vuelos ni cuándo despegarán. Tampoco identifica alguno de ellos como el viaje compartido previsto para Eärendil-0. Por eso, el contrato aporta capacidad futura de lanzamiento, pero no establece una fecha para poner un espejo en órbita. Reflect Orbital propone que sus futuros satélites dirijan luz a instalaciones solares y a zonas donde se realicen rescates nocturnos. En una prueba terrestre de octubre, la empresa usó reflectores cerca de Lone Pine, California; un rescatista participante vio ventajas para desplazarse, aunque describió una mejora limitada para localizar personas en operativos habituales. Aquella prueba no midió el funcionamiento de un espejo espacial. Reflect Orbital ilumina California en una prueba de rescate que deja dudas sobre su utilidadReflect Orbital probó focos en California para simular su espejo orbital. El ensayo deja dudas sobre rescates y avisos.FomoEraGerardo Pavez ## La preocupación por la luz fuera del objetivo La Sociedad Astronómica Estadounidense ha advertido sobre el posible impacto de satélites brillantes en las observaciones y el entorno nocturno. También cuestionó que la operación del reflector quedara fuera del alcance regulatorio que la FCC atribuyó a su licencia. Un artículo revisado por pares en _The Astrophysical Journal Letters_ modeló cómo las moléculas y partículas de la atmósfera, junto con la luz reflejada por el suelo, podrían extender el resplandor más allá de la zona iluminada. Bajo condiciones de cielo despejado, los autores calcularon que, a 14 kilómetros del centro del haz, el resplandor de un solo reflector haría que la mayor parte del cielo fuera más brillante que en una noche de luna llena. Ese cálculo supone un espejo de 54 por 54 metros, mayor que el previsto para Eärendil-1. Es una proyección basada en un modelo, no una medición orbital ni una predicción directa de Eärendil-0, que no llevará reflector. Según Space.com, Reflect Orbital cuestionó los supuestos del estudio y sostuvo que la mayoría de los lugares atendidos serán remotos. Los investigadores respondieron que la empresa no había aportado datos técnicos para respaldar su posición, reportó el mismo medio. _Fuentes:_ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

India Takes the Leap with Skyroot’s Historic Orbital Launch India has joined the elite club of nations with private companies capable of launching satellites into…

https://imgur.com/a/LnWGna3#RFpW0RT California startup Reflect Orbital, founded by Ben Nowack and Tristan Semmelhack in Hawthorne, announced on October 14 it purchased two dedicated launches from India's Skyroot Aerospace on Vikram-1 and Vikram-1U vehicles for future spacecraft in its plan to deploy

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

Reflect Orbital, which wants to beam sunlight down from orbit, bought two launches from India's Skyroot, while Rocket Lab pushed its Neutron debut to 2027.

The pioneering reusable upper stage for Stoke Space's Nova rocket ships out for testing.

Reflect Orbital wants to sell sunlight after dark. On October 14 the Los Angeles startup bought two dedicated launches from Skyroot Aerospace, adding working rockets to a plan that until this week lived mostly in pitch decks and a single regulatory filing. 🎯 Reflect Orbital bought capacity, not a finished product: the first mission flies on Vikram-1, the second on a rocket that has never launched. The FCC licensed one demonstration satellite in July. The 50,000-mirror constellation behind it is still unapproved and contested. Getting to orbit is the easy part. Delivering controllable light on demand, without disturbing the night sky, is the hard one. The deal is small in dollars and large in signal. Skyroot did not disclose the price of either mission, and Reflect Orbital did not say when they fly. Booking two rockets anyway is the first hard commitment in a business built on mirrors that do not exist yet. * * * 50,000 orbital mirrors #### Reflect Orbital's 2035 constellation target From two demonstration satellites in 2026 to more than 50,000 by 2035, on the company's own published roadmap. · _Reflect Orbital, 2026_ ## Two rockets, two versions, no dates The contract covers one flight on Vikram-1 and one on Vikram-1U. Vikram-1 reached orbit for the first time on July 18, 2026, the first privately developed Indian rocket to do so, and carries up to 350 kg to low Earth orbit. Vikram-1U has not flown. Skyroot expects its first mission in the first quarter of 2027, with additional first-stage boosters lifting capacity to roughly 550 kg. Booking both versions spreads the risk across a proven vehicle and an unproven upgrade of the same design. Reflect Orbital is the only payload on both flights, a spokesperson told Payload. A dedicated launch buys schedule control and orbital choice that a rideshare slot cannot offer. It also means paying for the whole rocket. ## What the company is actually selling Reflect Orbital's product is redirected sunlight, not generated power. A spacecraft that can see both the Sun and a target area tilts a large reflector so daylight lands inside a spot about 5 km wide. Rotating the mirror, or letting the geometry slip, switches the light off. The published roadmap is unusually specific for a company this young. In 2026 it promises 0.1 lux for five minutes, roughly full moonlight. By 2028 the target is up to 100 lux for two hours, comparable to an indoor work area. By 2035 it projects up to 36,000 lux, close to daylight, from a constellation of more than 50,000 satellites. Year| Satellites| Lighting service| Energy service ---|---|---|--- **2026**| 2| 0.1 lux / 5 min (full moon)| Testing **2028**| 1,000+| Up to 100 lux / 2 h| Testing **2030**| 5,000+| Up to 5,000 lux / minutes| +1% capacity factor **2035**| 50,000+| Up to 36,000 lux / hours| +20% capacity factor Source: Reflect Orbital published roadmap, 2026 The energy product is separate and far more modest. Reflect Orbital estimates its mirrors could add 1% to a solar farm's capacity factor by 2030, and 20% by 2035. Those gains assume a typically overbuilt array. For Southern California the company projects 0.75%; for Germany, 1.4%. ## The physics of a 5 km patch of light A reflector in low Earth orbit crosses the sky in minutes. Reflect Orbital needs the mirror, the Sun and the ground target to line up at the same time, which shortens each pass and constrains the orbit the spacecraft can use. Brightness scales with the collecting area of the reflectors and with their distance from the ground. One small satellite under a favourable sun angle delivers a faint fraction of moonlight; the company's own 2026 target is 0.1 lux for five minutes. Reaching street-lighting levels takes many satellites pointing at the same spot at once. That is why the roadmap grows so steeply. Two satellites in 2026 become 1,000 by 2028 and 50,000 by 2035. Duration and intensity both come from overlap, not from one bigger mirror. Weather and orbital geometry eat into usable hours. A satellite in low Earth orbit spends a large share of each pass in Earth's shadow, and clouds block the beam however carefully the orbit is planned. Reflect Orbital sidesteps some of this by selling scheduled, locally approved windows instead of continuous light. The hard part is coordination. Thousands of independently moving mirrors have to hold one target long enough for the light to be worth paying for. ## The regulator said yes. Two thousand comments said no. In July 2026 the FCC approved Earendil-1, Reflect Orbital's first demonstration spacecraft. The application drew more than 2,000 public comments, many of them opposed. Environmental groups asked the commission to cancel the licence. They argue that bright beams switched on at night could disturb wildlife, interfere with astronomical observation, and disrupt human circadian rhythms. The American Astronomical Society urged its members to take part in the review. > We will continue to work with astronomers, local communities and regulators to earn the right to scale.— Ben Nowack, co-founder and CEO, Reflect Orbital The idea is not new. In 1993 Russian engineers unfolded a 65-foot mirror in orbit and steered a beam of sunlight across Europe. The Znamya experiment worked; the funding did not. What changed since is the cost of small satellites and the appetite of private capital to fund a demonstration before a market exists. ## Why an Indian rocket Reflect Orbital's binding constraint is launch, not light. SpaceX has stopped taking new reservations on its Transporter rideshare programme after 2029, and operators have started buying whole vehicles to guarantee slots. Portal Space Systems took a full Falcon 9 in August. Maverick Space Systems then filled the spare capacity with 10 Kepler satellites. Skyroot gives Reflect Orbital a second supply line outside the United States. The Hyderabad company became India's first space-tech unicorn in May 2026, raising nearly $60 million at a $1.1 billion valuation, and its Vikram-1 launch in July was the country's first private orbital flight. ## The economics have to catch up The lighting business raises fewer questions than the energy one. Search-and-rescue teams, remote industrial sites and event organisers can pay for a scheduled patch of light without a grid connection, and the company says it will only serve locations approved by local authorities. Solar augmentation is harder to sell. A 1% capacity-factor gain by 2030 will not move a utility's investment case. As we wrote in our October piece on space-based solar, the first paying customer for power from orbit arrived before the costs did. Reflect Orbital's own projections put the meaningful energy number in 2035, a decade away. ### What would have to be true by 2028? 🔮 **Reflect Orbital flies both Skyroot missions, demonstrates controllable 5 km lighting, and wins a licence that goes beyond its single demonstration satellite.** Probability: 40% — the hardware is simple next to the regulatory and business questions, and neither the upgraded rocket nor the market is proven. #### 🟢 Optimistic scenario (25%) Both launches fly on schedule and the demonstration produces the promised spot. **Consequences:** Skyroot signs more Western customers; orbital illumination becomes a recognised category. #### 🟡 Base scenario (45%) Launches slip into 2028 and the demonstration works, but constellation approval is delayed by astronomy objections. **Consequences:** The company survives on private capital; the energy service slides past 2030. #### 🔴 Pessimistic scenario (30%) Vikram-1U slips, litigation over wildlife and astronomy stalls licensing, and funding tightens. **Consequences:** Reflect Orbital narrows its plan and starts licensing its mirror hardware instead. 📊 **Signals to track** The first Vikram-1U flight date, currently Q1 2027. Any FCC order wider than the Earendil-1 demonstration licence. Reflect Orbital's first named paying customer for lighting or energy. Whether Skyroot's manifest converts into repeat international orders. Reflect Orbital books two launches with India's Skyroot Aerospace SpaceNews' Jeff Foust breaks the October 14 launch deal and the capacity crunch behind it. SpaceNews The primary trade report on the contract terms and the Vikram-1/Vikram-1U split. Reflect Orbital Buys Two Skyroot Aerospace Launches Payload adds the dedicated-launch context, the FCC approval, and the 50,000-mirror ambition. Payload Best single source for why dedicated capacity matters when rideshare inventory is closing. Reflect Orbital — constellation roadmap and service description The company's own schedule of satellite counts, lighting levels and energy projections through 2035. Reflect Orbital Every roadmap number here is the company's own target, not a delivered result.

The sky above Boca Chica has recently transformed from a quiet testing ground into a bustling corridor of ambition, with the Federal Aviation Administration suddenly finding itself on the defensive…

Reflect Orbital has purchased two launches from Skyroot Aerospace to deploy satellites it is developing to redirect sunlight to locations on the ground.

Welcome to Edition 9.15 of the Rocket Report! The launch I’m most looking forward to in the next few weeks is that of Japan’s Martian Moons Exploration (MMX) mission. MMX is one of the marquee space science missions launching this year, and it’s set to leave Earth as soon as Monday (US time) aboard a Japanese H3 rocket. The spacecraft will visit Phobos and Deimos, the two asteroid-like moons of Mars, deploying a rover and collecting specimens for return to Earth in 2031. Exploration at its finest. As always, we welcome reader submissions, and if you don’t want to miss an issue, please subscribe using the box below (the form will not appear on AMP-enabled versions of the site). Each report will include information on small-, medium-, and heavy-lift rockets as well as a quick look ahead at the next three launches on the calendar. Reflect Orbital looks to India for launch capacity. California-based Reflect Orbital, the startup attempting to offer sunlight on-demand with in-space mirrors, announced the purchase of two launches Wednesday from Indian launcher Skyroot Aerospace, Payload Space reports. One of the launches will use Skyroot’s Vikram-1 rocket, which became the first privately developed Indian rocket to reach...