For those who love a tan, getting one at 2 a.m. would seem like the best idea ever! Especially in places that barely get much sun, people can now rely on the innovation of a California startup readying its prototype orbital mirror. The Space Mirror by Reflect Orbital aims to sell sunlight when it is not a naturally occurring phenomenon, like in the middle of the night. They are achieving this nature-defying feat by launching a massive mirror into space aboard a satellite that will reflect light onto a precise location on Earth. The concept was unveiled in April by the company’s founder and CEO, Ben Nowack, at the International Conference on Energy from Space.
☀️ Sunlight for Sale?
A startup proposes to "sell" sunlight at night. Mirrors in space direct concentrated sunbeams to spots on Earth. 🌍
The company – @reflectorbital – launched with a goal to power solar farms at night. It wants to “enable 24/7 renewable energy.”
A mock… pic.twitter.com/fmFFNtsC7z
— stephenregenold (@stephenregenold) August 26, 2024
Since then, they have shared many videos fueling curiosity among sun-lovers worldwide. The startup has begun taking applications to reserve a spot of personal sunlight, and Tristan Semmelhack, co-founder and CTO of Reflect Orbital, revealed on X that tens of thousands have already applied. “At 30k applications for a spot of light and climbing every second. Insane! 10x yesterday’s count in just a day,” read the post. The demo video shows the founder getting blessed by a ray of light at the simple touch of a button through an app. How it will actually work is as unclear as a rainy cloud.
There is zero clarity on the cost of this project, though the involvement of satellites will make it cost multi-millions. Moreover, there is no clarification on how much it’s going to cost consumers. It is safe to assume that getting a warm dose of sunlight after dark by simply logging into a website and filling in the GPS coordinates sounds like a godly task that will be accompanied by an astronomical price tag. According to Space, Reflect Orbital’s services are set to begin in Q4 2025. That’s ample time to start saving money to buy some light. Meanwhile, for those excited about untimely tans, tanning lamps are available on Amazon for less than $100.
