<2>Startup Wants To Launch a Space Mirror
<3>Revolutionizing Nighttime Illumination with Reflect Orbital
<4>By leveraging the power of the sun, Reflect Orbital aims to provide a sustainable solution for nighttime illumination, power solar farms, and support rescue operations. As reported by the New York Times, the company has applied to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to launch its first prototype satellite with a 60-foot-wide mirror.
<5>Reflect Orbital’s chief executive, Ben Nowack, stated that the company is trying to build something that could replace fossil fuels and power everything. With over $28 million in funding from investors, the company is on track to launch its first prototype satellite this summer.
<6>The test satellite, roughly the size of a dorm fridge, will unfurl a square mirror nearly 60 feet wide once in space. This will bounce sunlight to illuminate a circular patch about three miles wide on the Earth’s surface, making it visible as a dot in the sky about as bright as a full moon.
<7>Two more prototypes could follow within a year, with the company aiming to launch 1,000 larger satellites by the end of 2028 and 5,000 by 2030.