SSTL to Develop Platform for Lazuli Space Telescope
Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. (SSTL) has been selected to develop the spacecraft platform for Lazuli, a significant, privately funded space telescope. The British company will provide the essential backbone for the ambitious observatory.
The Lazuli Mission Platform
SSTL was chosen by Schmidt Sciences to supply the platform for Lazuli. This crucial component will be responsible for managing the telescope's attitude control, propulsion, and communications systems.
Lazuli is designed with a primary mirror three meters across, a size that will significantly exceed that of the iconic Hubble Space Telescope. The project targets a launch date as early as mid-2028.
Lazuli's primary mirror will be three meters across, exceeding the Hubble Space Telescope's size.
Project Background and Expertise
Schmidt Sciences, established by Eric and Wendy Schmidt, first announced Lazuli in January. The space telescope is a key part of their broader Eric and Wendy Schmidt Observatory System, which also includes three ground-based observatories.
SSTL, a British firm with four decades of experience, is renowned for manufacturing small satellites. The company has an impressive track record, having built over 70 spacecraft for a wide array of applications. SSTL states that its "small-satellite approach," characterized by rapid development, pragmatic engineering, and the reuse of commercial and proven technologies, is readily applicable to larger missions like Lazuli.
SSTL's "small-satellite approach," characterized by rapid development, pragmatic engineering, and reuse of commercial and proven technologies, is applicable to larger missions like Lazuli.
Development Strategy and Costs
Schmidt Sciences aims to streamline Lazuli's development by performing its final assembly near a Florida launch site. The strategy also includes utilizing off-the-shelf components that already have flight heritage, further optimizing the process.
The total cost for the mission is projected to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars, a figure estimated to be approximately one-tenth the cost of a typical NASA flagship astrophysics mission. While not officially confirmed, a chart presented during the Lazuli announcement indicated a potential launch from a Cape Canaveral pad used by Relativity Space, a company whose chief executive is Eric Schmidt.
SSTL did not disclose the specific value of its contract for the Lazuli project.
The mission's total cost is projected to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars, approximately one-tenth the cost of a typical NASA flagship astrophysics mission.