Think different is the new mantra of startups. However, to think absolutely different is something beyond the common saying. California-based startup Reflect Orbital has done the same. It has come up with a completely different goal. It has targeted to bring sunlight to Earth even at night dark. The vision is highly futuristic. It has plans to launch satellites equipped with large mirrors to reflect sunlight to specific locations on Earth. This is believed to be potentially transforming the efficiency of solar farms.
Well, the concept of reflecting sunlight is not new. Russia’s Znamya project tried to experiment the same in 1990s. Unfortunately, the project had to face technical issues. Reflect Orbital, however, is said to be using advanced technology and it aims to succeed where previous efforts faltered.
Co-founders Ben Nowack and Tristan Semmelhack are at the forefront. They have plans to launch a constellation of satellites to deploy large mirrors that is to reflect sunlight back to the Earth. Reflect Orbital has achieved successful with prototype test that was conducted by using a hot-air balloon. The test involved reflecting sunlight onto a mobile solar farm.
The technology is promising but still in its infancy. A recent video of the startup was demonstration on X and it showed a person using an app to select a location and illuminate it with sunlight. The visualization is captivating and important to note that the demonstration was intended for illustrative purposes only.
Official website of Reflect Orbital divides its offerings “Lightning” and “Energy.” The “Lightning” section focuses on providing sunlight after dark and the “Energy” section aims to enhance nighttime solar energy collection. It has plans to deploy first large reflector within the next four to five months.
