A company in California has set out to sell light after the sun has gone down, placing mirrors in orbit that can be aimed at chosen places on Earth. It has turned to an Indian rocket builder in Hyderabad to carry those mirrors skyward on two launches. The venture is still young, and the regulator has only approved a demonstration, yet it already tests a familiar human question: how far we should bend the natural rhythm of night to our own convenience.
Reflect Orbital Plans On-Demand Night Sunlight From Orbit, Launching With India's Skyroot Aerospace
Sunlight at night, aimed at a chosen spot, switched off on request
Mark
So what is Reflect Orbital actually selling?
Mimi
Sunlight at night, aimed at a specific place. The beam covers about five kilometres, and the company says brightness can be adjusted and the light switched off whenever the customer wants.
Mark
Who would pay for that?
Mimi
The company lists disaster zones for search and rescue, solar farms that want to generate longer, remote industrial sites, defence uses and public events.
Mark
And where does India come in?
Mimi
Skyroot Aerospace, in Hyderabad, will handle two launches, one on Vikram-1 and one on the Vikram-1U, which is still in development.
Luke
That detail matters. One of the two launches depends on a rocket that hasn't flown in its upgraded form yet, so the schedule is partly a promise.
Mark
The FCC approved it, though.
Luke
It approved a single demonstration satellite in July, not a full constellation. The reporting doesn't say the wider service is cleared.
Mimi
Nowack himself framed it that way, saying the company has to earn the right to scale.
Mark
What are the objections?
Mimi
Environmental groups want the approval scrapped, citing harm to wildlife, astronomy and human circadian rhythms.
Luke
Those are the groups' arguments. The article doesn't offer measurements of how bright the beam would be on the ground or any study of effects, so the harm is claimed, not shown.
Mimi
And the Russian Znamya mirror in 1993 worked but was shelved over funding, so the physics isn't the open question.
O Pulso
- Reflect Orbital has contracted Skyroot Aerospace for two Vikram rocket launches to put reflecting satellites into orbit.
- Environmental groups are pressing the FCC to revoke its July approval, warning of harm to wildlife, astronomy and human sleep cycles.
- The first flight will use the proven Vikram-1, while the second depends on the Vikram-1U, a vehicle still in development.
- The demonstration satellite is cleared to fly, and the company's next moves will hinge on the FCC's response to the petitions and on whether the launches succeed.
A company in California has set out to sell light after the sun has gone down, placing mirrors in orbit that can be aimed at chosen places on Earth. It has turned to an Indian rocket builder in Hyderabad to carry those mirrors skyward on two launches. The venture is still young, and the regulator has only approved a demonstration, yet it already tests a familiar human question: how far we should bend the natural rhythm of night to our own convenience.
A California company wants to sell sunlight after dark. Reflect Orbital has signed Hyderabad-based Skyroot Aerospace to launch its reflecting satellites on two Vikram rockets. The mirrors would be aimed at chosen spots on Earth, with adjustable brightness and a swath about five kilometres wide, and the company imagines the light lighting disaster zones for overnight rescue, extending solar farm hours, keeping remote industry running and brightening public events.
The first launch will use the Vikram-1. The second is planned for the Vikram-1U, which is still under development and promises more boosters and better performance. Reflect Orbital says the arrangement gives it dependable schedule and capacity alongside its US launches. Skyroot's CEO welcomed the deal, saying he looked forward to delivering sunshine on demand.
The US Federal Communications Commission approved a demonstration satellite in July, and the company's CEO said he would keep working with astronomers, communities and regulators before any wider scaling. The idea has a past: in 1993 Russian engineers flew a mirror in orbit that cast a moving beam across the Earth, but funding ran out.
Opposition has followed. Several environmental organisations want the FCC to withdraw its approval, arguing that bright night beams could disturb wildlife, research and human circadian rhythms. The coming weeks will show how the regulator answers them and whether the demonstration satellite reaches orbit.
A California company that wants to sell sunlight after dark has signed up an Indian rocket maker to help get its mirrors into orbit. Reflect Orbital has contracted Hyderabad-based Skyroot Aerospace for two launches aboard its Vikram rockets, according to reporting by The Economic Times.
The idea is to place large reflecting satellites in orbit and aim their light at chosen spots on Earth, on demand. Reflect Orbital describes the beam as adjustable in brightness, able to be switched off at any time, and covering a swath of about five kilometres. The company pitches it for several uses: lighting disaster zones so search and rescue can continue overnight, extending the working hours of solar farms, and keeping remote industrial sites running after sunset. It also lists defence uses, such as illuminating critical infrastructure, and what it calls unforgettable experiences at public events.
The launch contract covers two flights. The first will fly on Skyroot's Vikram-1. The second is slated for the Vikram-1U, a vehicle still in development that the company says has additional first-stage boosters and improved performance. Reflect Orbital said the Skyroot launches give it assured schedule and capacity alongside other launches it plans from sites in the United States. Skyroot CEO Pawan Chandana welcomed the deal in a post on X, saying he looked forward to launching the company's vision of sunshine on demand.
A regulatory step came in July, when the US Federal Communications Commission approved Reflect Orbital to build, launch and operate a demonstration satellite. Co-founder and CEO Ben Nowack said the company was recently licensed to operate its first spacecraft and would keep working with astronomers, local communities and regulators to earn the right to scale. He also said the company was glad to work with a new launch provider to help ensure access to space.
The concept has a precedent. In 1993, Russian scientists and engineers deployed a 65-foot mirror in orbit and sent a roving beam of sunlight across the Earth. The experiment, called Znamya, worked, but it was shelved for lack of funding.
Reflect Orbital's plans have drawn opposition. Several environmental organisations have urged the FCC to withdraw the permission it granted for the demonstration satellite. Their argument is that bright beams of light at night could disturb wildlife, interfere with astronomical research and affect human circadian rhythms.
Two things to watch: how the FCC responds to the petitions against its approval, and whether the demonstration satellite reaches orbit on the Vikram launches.
Citações Notáveis
We will continue to work with astronomers, local communities and regulators to earn the right to scale.— Ben Nowack, Reflect Orbital co-founder and CEO
Excited to launch their vision of sunshine on demand with Skyroot rockets.— Pawan Chandana, Skyroot Aerospace CEO (paraphrased, post on X)
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Leia o original em The Economic Times ↗
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