Eric Schmidt and Wendy Schmidt to Launch Lazuli Space Observatory: A Potential Historic Private Space Telescope

Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and his wife Wendy are poised to make history with their latest venture, the Lazuli Space Observatory. Announced during the American Astronomical Society meeting, this project aims to become the largest privately-funded space telescope ever built. Backed by substantial investments from the Schmidts, Lazuli promises to expand our understanding of the universe through cutting-edge technology and open scientific collaboration.

Key Features of Lazuli

• Size and Design: Featuring a 3.1-meter mirror, Lazuli surpasses NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope in size, though it remains smaller than the James Webb Space Telescope.

• Instruments: Equipped with a wide-field camera, a broadband integral-field spectrograph, and a coronagraph, Lazuli will investigate a wide range of celestial phenomena including exoplanets and supernovae.

• Rapid Response Capability: Schmidt Sciences plans to enable Lazuli to quickly pivot and observe transient events or objects detected by other telescopes, enhancing its scientific versatility.

The Schmidt Observatory System

Lazuli is part of the broader Schmidt Observatory System, which also includes three ground-based observatories:

• Argus Array
• Deep Synoptic Array (DSA)
• Large Fiber Array Spectroscopic Telescope (LFAST)

This integrated system emphasizes open science, with data and software shared broadly to encourage worldwide scientific collaboration. Researchers at every career level will have access to the collected data and telescope time.

Future Outlook

All four observatories, including Lazuli, are anticipated to become operational before the end of the decade, marking a significant milestone in private space exploration and astronomical research.

Stay tuned for updates on this groundbreaking project that could redefine commercial involvement in space science.