Reflect Orbital readies first satellite to sell sunlight, unfolding a volleyball-court-sized mirror in orbit
kyliebytes · x · 2026-09-11
A Core Memory feature by Brendan Borrell profiles Reflect Orbital, the Hawthorne, CA startup founded by twenty-somethings Ben Nowack and Tristan Semmelhack that aims to unfurl a volleyball-court-sized mirror from a satellite smaller than a mini fridge — to sell sunlight to places that lack it or need it at off hours.
Key details:
- The company famously screened job candidates by having them fold paper cranes: the best folders proved to be excellent fabricators; early overly complex reflector prototypes (including one stitched from hundreds of fabric tiles) were scrapped
- After four years of trial and error, its first satellite is queued for a Falcon 9 rideshare launch to test the audacious business thesis
- The writer's prose is praised by kyliebytes as a breath of fresh air
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