Reflect Orbital, the California startup aiming to offer sunlight on demand using in-space mirrors, has purchased two launches from India's Skyroot Aerospace. One will use the Vikram-1 rocket, which became the first privately developed Indian rocket to reach orbit in July. The other will fly on an upgraded rocket called the Vikram-1U. Reflect plans to launch its first satellite on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rideshare next year, and its business model involves a constellation of some 50,000 mirrors beaming sunlight to the ground for power generation and illumination. The FCC approved Reflect's first in-space mirror satellite earlier this year.
The selection of Skyroot also highlights concerns among satellite operators about a possible shortage of launch capacity in the United States. SpaceX is phasing out its Falcon 9 in favor of the much larger but relatively unproven Starship, leaving operators uncertain about future access to orbit.
Elsewhere, Colorado-based LEAP is targeting the dedicated small-satellite launch market with its Bighorn rocket, slated for a first orbital launch in 2028. Bighorn is designed for an initial payload capacity of 320 pounds (145 kilograms) to low-Earth orbit. The company's new factory in a Denver suburb will support initial production of six vehicles per year, with capacity to scale to two per month. LEAP's smaller Bullfrog rocket reached an altitude of approximately 130,000 feet (40 kilometers) in May.
Rocket Lab has also confirmed that its Neutron launch vehicle will not fly until 2027. The delay stems from an issue discovered during manufacturing of the rocket's carbon composite structures. The news confirmed what much of the industry had already suspected, as the company's August update had still held out hope for a launch before the end of the year.
Source: Ars Technica · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing