Shortly after the success of the Vikram-1 rocket, India’s private space pioneer, Pawan Kumar Chandana and Naga Bharath Daka-led Skyroot Aerospace, has secured a significant commercial breakthrough from the United States.
US-based Reflect Orbital, a company seeking to harness sunlight from space and redirect it back to Earth, has purchased two dedicated launches on Skyroot rockets for future spacecraft deployment. Reflect Orbital is developing what many describe as space mirrors or orbital reflectors that can redirect sunlight to specific locations on Earth. The company believes this technology could help extend solar energy generation after sunset, support emergency search and rescue operations during the night, and provide illumination where conventional infrastructure is unavailable. “There’s a real launch capacity shortage right now. Reflect Orbital describes itself as a company building space-enabled infrastructure to deliver sunlight to precise locations on Earth.
Founded in 2018 by former ISRO engineers Pawan Kumar Chandana and Naga Bharath Daka, Skyroot was created with the goal of opening access to space and building India’s first globally competitive private launch company. The company first grabbed headlines in 2022 when Vikram-S became the first rocket launched by an Indian private company.
In a sense, Skyroot could become the launch provider that helps put “space bulbs” into orbit. We’re excited to work with a new launch provider, Skyroot, to help ensure access to space,” he said.
