Startup Wants To Launch a Space Mirror

Source: Slashdot

Overview

A startup called Reflect Orbital wants to launch thousands of mirror‑bearing satellites to reflect sunlight onto Earth at night and “power solar farms after sunset, provide lighting for rescue workers and illuminate city streets, among other things,” reports the New York Times. The company, based in Hawthorne, Calif., could soon receive permission to launch its first prototype satellite with a 60‑foot‑wide mirror. Reflect Orbital has applied to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which issues the licenses needed to deploy satellites. If the FCC approves, the test satellite could get a ride into orbit as soon as this summer. The FCC’s public comment period on the application closes on Monday.

“We’re trying to build something that could replace fossil fuels and really power everything,” said Ben Nowack, Reflect Orbital’s chief executive, in an interview.
The company has raised more than $28 million from investors.

Prototype Details

Reflect Orbital’s first prototype, roughly the size of a dorm‑room refrigerator, is almost complete. Once in space, about 400 miles up, the test satellite would unfurl a square mirror nearly 60 feet wide. The mirror would bounce sunlight to illuminate a circular patch about three miles wide on Earth’s surface. To an observer on the ground, the reflected light would appear as a dot in the sky about as bright as a full moon.

• Two more prototypes could follow within a year.
• By the end of 2028, the company aims to launch 1,000 larger satellites.
• By 2030, the target is 5,000 satellites.
• The largest planned mirrors would be nearly 180 feet wide, reflecting as much light as 100 full moons.
• The ultimate goal is a constellation of 50,000 satellites by 2035.

Pricing

The cost to “order” sunlight at night is projected to be about $5,000 per hour for the light of one mirror, provided the customer signs an annual contract for 1,000 hours or more.

• One‑time events and emergencies, which may require multiple satellites and additional coordination, would be priced higher.
• For solar farms, Reflect Orbital envisions splitting revenue from the electricity generated during the extra hours of light.