Reflect Orbital

Orbital reflectors for solar energy generation.

reflectorbital.com

HQ: Remote

Space

Company research

Public company, workplace, funding, and market signals

Updated Jul 29, 2026

Overview

Reflect Orbital is a space-enabled infrastructure company building satellites that redirect natural sunlight from orbit to precise locations on Earth for on-demand lighting and solar-energy extension. Public profiles describe the company as mission-driven and focused on making clean energy and controllable light more abundant; open roles and company pages show it is actively moving toward first demo missions.

Primary product

On-demand reflected sunlight via orbiting mirror satellites (Light and Energy services)

Founded

2021

Headquarters

Los Angeles, California, United States

Team size

Work style

Onsite

Industry

Renewable Energy Power Generation

Sub-industry

Space-based solar power / space infrastructure

Offices

Santa Monica, California, United States

Hawthorne, California, United States

Business model

B2B sunlight-as-a-service

Contracted lighting and solar-energy service

Space-enabled infrastructure service

Funding

Stage

Series A

Total raised

$28.7M

Latest round

Series A · May 2025

Latest amount

$20M

Series A

May 2025 · Lux Capital

$20M

Seed

Sep 2024 · Sequoia Capital

$6.5M

Venture Round

Mar 2023

Pre-Seed

Dec 2022 · Starship Ventures

$2.2M

People & investors

Leadership

Ben Nowack

Co-Founder & CEO

Tristan Semmelhack

Co-Founder & CTO

Ally Stone

Chief Strategy Officer

Emily Bilbao

VP of Policy and Engagement

Charlie Garcia

VP of Vehicle Engineering

Investors

Baiju Bhatt

Keenan Wyrobek

Keller Rinaudo Cliffton

Work & culture

Fast-paced, purpose-driven, extreme-ownership culture with aggressive timelines and unforgiving technical constraints; the company emphasizes moving fast, learning in reality, and hiring exceptional builders.

Work style

Onsite

Compensation

Public job postings list salary bands from roughly $27-$31/hour for an intern role up to $90K-$220K for full-time engineering roles, and full-time roles explicitly include equity. No broader public benefits package is listed.

Product & market

Pricing

Not publicly disclosed; appears request/approval-based and likely contract-priced per service area and time window.

Differentiators

—Uses reflected natural sunlight rather than artificial lighting
—Requires no ground infrastructure like poles, wires, or new panels
—Precise targeting with adjustable brightness and scheduling
—Can be turned on or off quickly
—Designed to avoid sensitive areas such as observatories and protected habitats
—Targets both nighttime lighting and extending solar output after sunset

Technology

docker

quickbooks

epoch

git

ramp

core hr

prototype

quickbooks online

python

humanity

gps

linux

google workspace

slack

impact

notion

upkeep

matlab

amp

well

Customers

solar farms

utility-scale solar farm operators

construction sites

search-and-rescue teams

remote industrial operations

defense organizations

municipalities/civil infrastructure operators

agricultural operators

event and public-space operators

Competitors

Aetherflux

Star Catcher

Volta Space Technologies

Heliovis

Sol-Up

Sistine Solar

Ser Energia

Scale & contact

Estimated monthly visits

135.5K

Traffic estimate as of Jul 2026

contact@reflectorbital.com +1 774-722-9498

Signals & risks

Other

Jul 2026

The FCC approved the first demonstration satellite, but the filing drew nearly 1,900 public comments and significant criticism from astronomers and environmental groups over astronomy, wildlife, and light-pollution concerns.

Source

Latest news

The FCC just gave Reflect Orbital permission to launch its 1st space mirror to orbit

Space.com · Jul 2026

Covers the FCC approval of Eärendil-1 and notes Reflect Orbital's long-term plan for a much larger mirror constellation.

FCC approves first Reflect Orbital satellite

SpaceNews · Jul 2026

The FCC authorized Eärendil-1, Reflect Orbital's first demonstration satellite, which will test sunlight redirection from orbit; the piece also highlights the astronomical and environmental criticism around the project.

Reflect Orbital Selected for SBIR Phase II Contract by AFWERX to Advance Satellite-Based Sunlight Redirection Technology

PR Newswire · Jun 2025

Reflect Orbital announced a $1.25 million AFWERX Phase II SBIR contract for sunlight-on-demand satellite reflector technology.

Reflect Orbital Secures $20 Million in Series A Funding Led by Lux Capital

PR Newswire · May 2025

The company announced a $20 million Series A led by Lux Capital, with participation from Sequoia Capital and Starship Ventures.

Sequoia's first space investment since SpaceX is in sunlight-seller Reflect Orbital

TechCrunch · Sep 2024

TechCrunch covered the company's $6.5 million seed round led by Sequoia Capital, with participation from Starship Ventures and other investors.