Reflect Orbital moves complex hardware from design to reality with Vendra

“Previously, to get a complex part made with multiple steps I’d have to reach out to multiple shops and compare quotes… now I just toss Vendra the keys and I don’t have to worry about it.”

Meet Reflect Orbital

Reflect Orbital is building satellites designed to do something extraordinary: reflect sunlight from space back to Earth.

Its engineers are building entirely new hardware for an ambitious mission.

That means moving quickly, solving hard manufacturing problems, and getting complex parts into engineers’ hands without losing momentum to supplier coordination.

The challenge

When Reflect first started working with Vendra, the team was racing to build its first satellites and needed manufacturing to keep pace with the mission.

• Engineers were limited to a small pool of known shops.
• Complex parts meant juggling multiple suppliers, quotes and manufacturing steps.
• One slow response or missed handoff could put critical hardware behind schedule.

“If you’re trying to get a part on a fast turnaround, and you have to send it to multiple vendors, it’s easy to lose the battle before the war’s even started.”

At Reflect’s pace, that was more than an admin problem or a drain on engineering time. It was mission-critical.

A delay on one key part could block the next stage of the build and cost the team days, or even weeks.

The solution

Reflect didn’t need more software. It needed a better way to get complex parts made.

Vendra gave them that: a wider supplier network, the ability to find the right manufacturer for each part, and a trusted partner to manage the process end to end.

“With Vendra, we’ve been able to specify all of the requirements we need, which has given our engineers a ton of time back to focus on designing the parts, rather than worrying about juggling the supply chain logistics.”

That simplicity carried into the day-to-day too: engineers could manage projects in one place instead of piecing everything together across inboxes and spreadsheets.

“The platform is super easy to use and intuitive. I can manage all my projects. It’s way better than what I was doing before, sifting through my Gmail and tracking it on an Excel sheet!”

The moment Vendra proved itself

“I had to source a really large, custom plate. A lot of shops were unwilling to take that on, and Vendra was able to get it done.”

By using its platform to find a capable shop within its manufacturing network, Vendra helped Reflect get a demanding part made that other shops had declined.

That became the pattern for more complex work: find the right supplier, manage the moving pieces, and keep Reflect close to the people actually making the parts.

The results

01The right manufacturing supplier for each part

Vendra gives Reflect access to a broader manufacturing network, but the real value is finding the right shop for each job.

For engineers, that means less time searching for suppliers and more confidence that each job is going to the right shop.

“It was very helpful to have Vendra come on board. Before, we were relying on the shops that our more senior engineers had worked with in the past, which was a fairly limited selection.”

02Time back to build

For Reflect’s engineers, getting parts made can mean hours spent sourcing shops, comparing quotes, chasing updates and resolving questions. Vendra takes much of that coordination off their plate.

“With Vendra, my best estimate was that it saved us around 2-4 days a month. And that’s per engineer.”

Invaluable time that goes back into designing, testing and building hardware.

“Because Vendra is able to deal with all the logistics of talking to vendors, I create a lot of bandwidth to actually be thinking about the problems I care about solving.”

03Speed to match the mission

Reflect moves quickly, and waiting days for shops to respond can hold up an entire build.

On Vendra, Reflect receives its first quote in under five hours on average, helping engineers evaluate manufacturing options sooner without chasing shops for a response.

“Before, I’d have to reach out to multiple machine shops, compare quotes, and I’m also waiting on their timeline. Sometimes you don’t get a response.”

04Complex manufacturing, made simple

Reflect can handle straightforward machining in-house. The real complexity starts when a part needs multiple processes, different suppliers and careful coordination.

“Vendra is really good at doing multi-step manufacturing processes. If we just need a part CNC machined, we have the ability to do it in-house. Where Vendra really helps is when we need that part coated, masked or post-processed.”

Vendra manages the handoffs between machining, coating and post-processing, so Reflect doesn’t have to coordinate a separate supplier for every step.

05Direct supplier communication and manufacturing visibility

Reflect found traditional manufacturing platforms could work well for straightforward prototypes. But when the job got more complex, the team saw limitations firsthand: less visibility, less flexibility and reported quality issues.

“It’s very easy to communicate with Vendra and convey custom, specific requests. On other platforms, they may have a cookie-cutter form you fill out, and if your request doesn’t fit into that, it’s very difficult to get hold of them, or timelines slip.”

With Vendra, the Reflect team can see who is making the part, communicate directly when requirements get specific, and rely on Vendra to manage the process from RFQ through production and delivery.

What’s next

Reflect Orbital’s engineers are working toward launch to bring their vision of sunlight from space closer to reality.

As the program moves closer to that milestone, the hardware gets more demanding and the timelines matter even more.

Vendra will keep helping Reflect find the right suppliers, manage complex jobs, and get parts into engineers’ hands without slowing the team down.

Vendra will keep the parts moving while Reflect keeps moving the sunlight.