PHOENIX, Arizona — At the recent 247th meeting of the American Astronomical Society, scientists shared exciting news: four new telescopes have received private funding. These include three ground-based arrays and a space telescope named Lazuli, which is set to be more powerful than the Hubble Space Telescope, capturing 70% more light. If all goes as planned, Lazuli could launch by 2029.
Pete Klupar, the project’s executive director, emphasized their ambitious timeline: “We’re going to do it in three years, and we’re going to do it for a ridiculously low price.”
This initiative comes from Schmidt Sciences, a philanthropic group founded by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and Wendy Schmidt. The involvement of a private organization in major astronomy projects is significant. Recently, government science budgets have faced cuts, impacting institutions like NASA. Klupar noted that the current landscape of space funding creates “a storm of possibilities.”
Historically, private companies have jumped into space ventures, but the alignment of commercial interests with pure scientific research is rare. Lazuli could be a groundbreaking example of this shift, representing the first privately funded space telescope.
While discussing Lazuli, Klupar stated, “Having one shareholder eliminates analysis paralysis.” This streamlined approach has proven effective in commercial spaceflight and smaller satellite projects, which they hope to replicate in large-aperture astronomy.
Lazuli will feature a 3.1-meter mirror and will include three key instruments: a wide-field optical imager, an integral field spectrograph, and a high-contrast coronagraph. The coronagraph, in particular, is exciting because it can directly image exoplanets, which could revolutionize our understanding of planets outside our solar system.
Ewan Douglas from the University of Arizona highlighted that Lazuli’s technology will complement NASA’s upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, aiding the search for Earth-like planets.
The ground-based telescopes include:
- Argus Array: Set to be operational by 2028, this array will use 1,200 small telescopes to create an impressive field of view, allowing for rapid sky observations.
- Deep Synoptic Array (DSA): This telescope, based in Nevada and expected to launch by 2029, will scan the cosmos in radio waves, making it easier to detect hidden cosmic phenomena.
- Large Fiber Array Spectroscopic Telescope (LFAST): Described as a telescope made of many smaller telescopes, LFAST will support follow-up observations and is designed to be scalable.
Gregg Hallinan from Caltech remarked on the unprecedented speed of the DSA, asserting it could double the number of detected radio sources in just 24 hours.
The Schmidt Observatory System represents a new chapter in astronomy. With this initiative, scientists hope to answer pressing questions about universe expansion, the nature of supernovae, and much more. “What happens when we get technology into the hands of astronomers more quickly?” asked Arpita Roy from Schmidt Sciences. This question could lead us into an exciting new age of discovery.
