Order Sunlight via App: A U.S-based startup promises sunlight on demand, allowing users to control light intensity through an application.
California-Based Reflect Orbital Pioneers Space-Based Solar Power Solution
In an innovative bid to overcome the elementary constraint hindering solar power generation, a California startup, Reflect Orbital, is devising technology to reflect sunlight from space onto Earth, even after sunset.
Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, Reflect Orbital is developing a vast mirror in space, with the capability to focus sunlight on chosen locations. This technology, if successful, could potentially offer on-demand light sources, even during the darkest hours.
Bringing Light into the Night: Reflect Orbital's Vision
Users can book sunlight through Reflect Orbital's online portal, providing their GPS coordinates, and request illumination. The platform intends to deliver light to user-specified locations starting from the fourth quarter of 2025.
A mobile application is planned to control the light, offering users the flexibility to specify their locations and receive light from space. Although the precise operational method remains unclear, it is suspected that drones or other flying devices might be employed. Reflect Orbital has, in fact, previously experimented with both drones and hot air balloons to test the technology's feasibility.
With the eventual launch of a constellation of satellites equipped with mirrors, Reflect Orbital aims to extend the provision of reflected light over vast areas, not merely for personal use, but also for energy generation and other applications.
Russia's Previous Solar Mirror Endeavor
The idea of reflecting sunlight from space is not novel. In the 1990s, Russia attempted a similar project called Znamya (meaning "banner"). In 1993, a mirror was deployed from the Mir space station, generating a light beam with a diameter of approximately five kilometers and visible over parts of Europe. However, a larger test in 1999 aimed at creating a seven-kilometer light beam failed, ultimately leading to the discontinuation of the Russian project.
While Reflect Orbital focuses on advancing this technology, the startup is not alone. Recent funding of $20 million in Series A investment from Lux Capital, Sequoia Capital, and Starship Ventures will propel the company's plans to develop its satellite constellation and initiate launches, with the first expected by Spring 2026.
Plans for a "World Tour," launching the first satellite to illuminate ten iconic locations worldwide, demonstrate Reflect Orbital's ambition to showcase its capabilities and stir public interest. The venture's technology is designed to minimize light pollution by focusing the reflected sunlight in targeted areas, thereby reducing potential environmental impacts.
Beyond personal use, Reflect Orbital's technology presents several potential applications, such as enhancing solar energy production, offering continuous and adaptable illumination for large-scale industrial projects, supporting defense operations, civil infrastructure, and emergency response efforts, and illuminating remote areas without access to grid infrastructure.
- Other groundbreaking applications for Reflect Orbital's technology include enhancing solar energy production, allowing for continuous and adaptable illumination for large-scale industrial projects, and supporting defense operations, civil infrastructure, and emergency response efforts.
- In the realm of space-and-astronomy, other nations have previously attempted similar projects, like Russia's Znamya project in the 1990s, demonstrating the potential of solar mirrors for science and technology advancements.
