Abstract: A lightweight mirror comprises a silicon carbide (SiC) foam core having a bulk density of approximately five percent. The mirror further comprises two solid facesheets each of which is integrally formed upon a surface of the SiC foam core, the facesheets being comprised of SiC. Upon a machined surface of one or both of the facesheets a further layer of SiC is deposited to reinforce the SiC facesheet and to provide an optically polishable surface. This outer layer of SiC may be deposited by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) techniques. After depositing this reinforcing layer of SiC, the layer is machined and polished to provide a mirror surface having a desired flatness and optical quality.