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.
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