Reflect Orbital plans two dedicated missions on Skyroot rockets

Reflect Orbital plans to fly future spacecraft on two dedicated launches from India’s Skyroot Aerospace, under a purchase announced by the customer on 14 October. The agreement names a Vikram-1 flight followed by a mission on Vikram-1U, an upgraded rocket still in development.

The customer’s release describes Vikram-1U as adding first-stage boosters for improved performance. It says the Skyroot flights will complement Reflect Orbital’s planned launches from sites in the United States; it does not identify the spacecraft assigned to either Indian rocket.

Reflect Orbital is developing orbital mirrors to redirect sunlight towards selected locations on Earth. Its stated applications include extending solar-farm generation and providing light for search-and-rescue operations. These are the company’s intended uses for its system, rather than services demonstrated by this launch agreement.

Payload reported the purchase separately and obtained a response from a Reflect Orbital spokesperson identifying the company as the sole payload customer at present. The outlet reported that neither the price of each launch nor the dates of the contracted flights had been disclosed.