Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt is set to enter the history of space astronomy with an ambitious new project: Lazuli, the first large-scale private space telescope ever conceived. Scheduled for launch around 2028, Lazuli represents a new model of orbital observatory—funded by private capital, yet designed to serve the global scientific community.
The project stems from Schmidt’s personal initiative. Already an investor and CEO of the aerospace startup Relativity Space, Schmidt is part of a growing trend that sees major private fortunes playing an increasingly important role in space science and astronomy. Lazuli, however, is far more than an exercise in technological philanthropy: it is a fully fledged scientific observatory aimed at addressing some of the most fundamental questions in modern cosmology.
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Smaller than Webb, but highly efficient
The Lazuli Space Observatory (LSO) is expected to launch in 2028 aboard a Terran R rocket developed by Relativity Space. It will feature a 3.1-meter primary mirror, making it the largest operational space telescope after the James Webb Space Telescope. While smaller than Webb’s 6.5-meter mirror, Lazuli will significantly surpass both Hubble and the upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, each equipped with 2.4-meter mirrors.
Earlier design concepts envisioned an even larger mirror, but the final configuration has been optimized to deliver a 70% increase in light-collecting area compared to Hubble, while keeping the total mass to about four metric tons. The goal is clear: to develop powerful scientific instruments rapidly and at relatively contained costs, thanks to a lean, modular engineering approach.
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Off-axis optics and precision astrophysics instruments
From a technical standpoint, Lazuli will employ an off-axis optical design, with the secondary mirror offset from the primary mirror’s optical axis. This configuration eliminates diffraction effects caused by central obstructions, dramatically improving image contrast—an essential advantage, particularly for exoplanet research.
The observatory will operate in the visible and near-infrared range (400–1700 nm) and will carry three main scientific instruments:
- a wide-field camera for rapid sky monitoring,
- an integral field spectrograph for continuous spectroscopic analysis,
- and a high-contrast coronagraph, specifically designed for the direct imaging of exoplanets and the study of their atmospheres.
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An unconventional orbit for rapid response astronomy
Unlike Webb or Euclid, Lazuli will not operate from the Sun–Earth L2 Lagrange point. Instead, it will be placed in a very high elliptical orbit, resonant with the Moon. This orbital choice minimizes Earth-related interference while enabling fast communications and a response time of less than four hours to transient cosmic events such as supernova explosions or gravitational-wave detections.
The telescope’s primary scientific objectives include Type Ia supernova cosmology—catastrophic explosions of white dwarfs in binary systems, identified by the absence of hydrogen and the presence of silicon in their spectra—the study of dark matter and dark energy, multi-messenger astronomy, which combines data from different physical channels of a single astrophysical source, and, of course, the detection and characterization of exoplanets.
Part of a broader scientific ecosystem
Lazuli will not operate in isolation. It will serve as the space-based cornerstone of a broader network of ground- and space-based observatories funded by Schmidt Sciences, the philanthropic foundation established by Eric Schmidt and his wife Wendy. This ecosystem will include optical and radio telescope arrays capable of detecting transient events, which Lazuli can then observe in detail from orbit.
Scientific leadership for the project is provided by Pere Klupar, former chief technologist at NASA’s Ames Research Center, with contributions from leading scientists, including Nobel Prize laureate Saul Perlmutter.
The final cost of Lazuli has not yet been disclosed, but it is expected to exceed several hundred million dollars. If completed as planned, Lazuli could become the first major space telescope fully financed by a single private individual, marking a new chapter in the relationship between science, technology, and capital.
And this is where the story comes full circle: the architect of this observatory is not just another billionaire, but the man who led Google for more than a decade. Who knows—perhaps one day, opening Google Sky, we may explore the Universe using images captured by a space telescope… designed by Google’s former CEO himself.
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