Abstract: A mirror for terrestrial or aerospace application has a substrate, which is preferably of a laminate of a plurality of Graphite Fiber Reinforced Composite (GFRC) uni-directional fiber plies applied in a laminate with layers oriented to achieve appropriate stable properties. The substrate is cured to form the desired shape with a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface. A front buffering layer is immediately adjacent to and contiguous with the substrate on the first surface. The front buffer layer is of a material that buffers the surface morphology of the first surface of the substrate. A front specularizing layer is immediately adjacent to and contiguous with the front buffer layer. The specularizing layer is of a material for providing a smooth, low scatter optical surface. The specularizing layer can use an integral aluminized surface or an added vacuum deposited optical thin film coating for enhanced optical properties and durability.