Reflect Orbital

Reflect Orbital, Inc is an American privately held space technology company headquartered in Hawthorne, California.[1] Founded in 2021, the company designs and builds satellites with large-scale deployable mirrors to point sunlight onto Earth's surface.[2] The stated goal is to provide responsive lighting after dark and to increase the effective hours of solar energy production.[3] Investors in the company include venture capital firms such as Sequoia Capital and Lux Capital.

History

Reflect Orbital was founded in October 2021 by Ben Nowack and Tristan Semmelhack in Santa Monica, California. Nowack is a former aerospace engineer from SpaceX[4] and Semmelhack is a former mechanical engineer at Zipline who dropped out of Stanford University in December 2022 to join Nowack as co-founder.[5]

In March 2024, Reflect published a demonstration of a 64 sq ft (6 sq m) mirror being robotically controlled from a hot air balloon to redirect sunlight to solar panels on the ground during astronomical twilight. By the end of 2025, the company had received more than 260,000 enquiries relating to nighttime illumination for construction projects, public events, search and rescue efforts, military operations, and disaster relief.[6] Two proof-of-concept satellite missions have been designed to reflect light at low intensity comparable to moonlight, planned for launch in 2026. Reflect applied to the Satellite Licensing Division of the Federal Communications Commission for a license to launch and operate a constellation of satellites beginning in 2027.[7]

Fundraising

The company has raised money from venture capitalists and angel investors. In September 2024, Reflect raised US$6.5 million in a seed round led by Shaun Maguire and Sequoia Capital with participation from Baiju Bhatt and Zipline co-founders Keller Rinaudo and Keenan Wyrobek.[8] In May 2025, the company announced that it raised another US$20 million from Lux Capital, Sequoia Capital, and Starship Ventures.[9][10] In June 2025, the Air Force Research Laboratory and AFWERX awarded the company a US$1.25 million Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract to develop reflector technology.[11][12][13] As of 2026, the company has raised a total of US$35.2 million in funding.[14]

Eärendil-1

In May 2025, the company announced that its first satellite, Eärendil-1, would act as a demonstration of deployable large-scale heliostat technology in Sun synchronous orbit. The vehicle is named after Eärendil the Mariner from Lord of the Rings, a fictional character who shines light down to the world by becoming the "evening star" Venus. The mission has the goal of illuminating ten locations around the globe after launching in mid-2026.[15]

The satellite features an 18 meter by 18 meter (59 ft) mirror weighing 16 kg (35 lbs) made from mylar plastic typically used in spacecraft multi-layer insulation. When the glossy fabric is tensioned to form a reflective surface, the mirror is expected to provide 0.1 lux of brightness on Earth's surface, which similar to moonlight during the full moon. The reflector was designed by engineers recruited from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and uses an origami folding concept.[16] The satellite will orbit at 600-650 km (373-404 mi) altitude and cast a 5 km (3.1 mi) diameter light spot, visible from the ground as very bright moving star.[17]

In September 2025, Reflect selected SpaceX as a launch provider for the first two launches using Falcon 9 beginning no later than 2026.

Technology concerns

The company's plans have been criticised as causing light pollution and interfering with the night sky. Astronomers are concerned that a constellation of bright orbiting objects will interfere with observational astronomy.[18][19][20] Dark sky advocates have argued that manipulating night-time illumination poses a threat to the health of humans and wildlife by affecting circadian rhythms.[21] In response, the company said it would work closely with astronomers during its 2026 demonstration mission to minimize impacts on observations and the night sky.[22]

See also

• Space mirror
• Znamya (satellite)