FACT WIKI · Company
Reflect Orbital
Reflect Orbital
Reflect Orbital, Inc is a privately held American space technology company headquartered in Hawthorne, California. It designs and builds satellites with large deployable mirrors intended to direct sunlight onto Earth's surface.
Roles and functions
The company's proposed business includes extending solar farms' generation into evening hours of peak electricity demand and selling illumination for activities such as concerts, festivals and remote construction. In an interview with Monocle, CEO Ben Nowack described these as intended applications of the planned satellite system.
How it works
In the satellite design described to Monocle, four triangular panels would unfold into an 18-by-18-metre reflecting surface supported by booms. The satellite would orbit along the boundary between Earth's day and night sides; the founders said it could adjust its angle within seconds as Earth rotates.
History and changes
In March 2024, Reflect Orbital published a demonstration in which a robotically controlled mirror suspended from a hot-air balloon redirected sunlight onto solar panels on the ground during twilight.
Ben Nowack and Tristan Semmelhack founded Reflect Orbital in Santa Monica, California, in October 2021.
Scope and limitations
On July 9, 2026, the Federal Communications Commission authorized construction, launch and operation of Eärendil-1 and issued a two-year authorization for its radio communications. The grant was limited to that single demonstration satellite.
Background and related concepts
The company's plans have drawn criticism over potential light pollution. Astronomers have expressed concern that a constellation of bright orbiting objects could interfere with observational astronomy.
References
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