US Startup Reflect Orbital Books Two Launches with Hyderabad-Based Skyroot Aerospace
California-based space startup Reflect Orbital has booked two dedicated launches with Hyderabad-based Skyroot Aerospace to deploy its future spacecraft designed to deliver sunlight to specific locations on Earth at night.
Hyderabad: California-based space startup Reflect Orbital has booked two dedicated launches with Hyderabad-based Skyroot Aerospace to deploy its future spacecraft designed to deliver sunlight to specific locations on Earth at night.
Announcing the agreement on Wednesday, October 14, Reflect Orbital said dedicated launches would provide greater schedule certainty and launch capacity, complementing its other planned missions from launch sites in the United States.
Reflect Orbital is developing orbital mirrors to reflect sunlight towards targeted locations on Earth, potentially supporting applications such as remote search-and-rescue operations and solar farms seeking to generate clean energy.
“There’s a real launch capacity shortage right now,” said Reflect Orbital co-founder and CEO Ben Nowack, expressing confidence in the partnership with Skyroot.
Nowack also said the company had recently received a licence from the Federal Communications Commission to operate its first spacecraft. It would continue engaging with astronomers, local communities and regulators as it planned to expand operations.
Skyroot Aerospace co-founder and CEO Pawan Kumar Chandana said the partnership reflected the capabilities of the company’s Vikram rocket family and would offer mission flexibility.
The joint announcement did not disclose launch dates or financial details.
In July 2026, Skyroot’s Vikram-1 became the first privately developed Indian orbital rocket to successfully reach orbit on its maiden flight. The company became India’s first spacetech unicorn in May 2026 after raising nearly $60 million at a valuation of $1.1 billion.
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