Eric and Wendy Schmidt fund four new telescopes, including a Hubble-class space observatory

Ars Technica
Ars Technica
5h ago
Eric Schmidt and Wendy Schmidt announced major funding for four telescope projects, including a space-based optical telescope called Lazuli intended to provide a more capable modern version of the Hubble Space Telescope.
Eric and Wendy Schmidt fund four new telescopes, including a Hubble-class space observatory
A What happened
Eric Schmidt and Wendy Schmidt announced a major investment to fund four telescope projects collectively called the Schmidt Observatory System. The most prominent project, Lazuli, is a 3.1-meter optical space telescope intended to launch as early as late 2028 and begin scientific operations in 2029. Three additional modular ground-based telescopes in the southern and western United States are planned to use advances in computing, storage, and AI to process large data volumes. The plan is to freely and openly share data from the telescopes, with no selling of telescope time and an open competition for scientific proposals.
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Key insights

  • 1

    Faster development is a stated goal: Stuart Feldman said a key goal is to move quickly, describing NASA’s major space telescopes as tending toward 25-year gestation periods and saying moving expeditiously should better control costs.

  • 2

    Open data is a stated operating principle: Stuart Feldman said the data from all instruments is intended to be openly available, and the Schmidts emphasized the effort is not commercial and will not sell telescope time.

  • 3

    Higher risk tolerance than NASA is explicitly acknowledged: Stuart Feldman said the project is taking far more risks than NASA would be willing to take while aiming for a very high probability of success.

Takeaways

The Schmidts are funding a four-telescope system with an open-data model, anchored by the planned Lazuli space telescope intended to deliver Hubble-class capabilities on a faster timeline.

Topics

Technology & Innovation Artificial Intelligence Science & Research Space Business & Markets Innovation

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