High precision LLNL telescope to drive next generation lunar imaging

High precision LLNL telescope to drive next generation lunar imaging
by Clarence Oxford
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jun 21, 2025

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is advancing a major leap in lunar imaging through a partnership with Firefly Aerospace. The lab's cutting-edge optical telescope system is set to fly aboard Firefly's Elytra orbital platform as early as 2026, powering Firefly's commercial Ocula imaging service.

This will be the first commercial lunar imaging operation, offering unprecedented ultraviolet and visible-spectrum views of the Moon from orbit. LLNL's telescope is engineered to achieve 0.2-meter resolution at a 50-kilometer altitude, enabling detailed mineral mapping, precise landing site selection, and enhanced monitoring of the lunar environment.

"LLNL is contributing our optical telescopes to help enable this new commercial imaging service for lunar mapping and domain awareness," said Ben Bahney, LLNL's space program leader.

This mission marks LLNL's return to lunar orbit since its Clementine mission involvement in 1994. The lab's renewed efforts tie together its national security capabilities and rich legacy in lunar science, including work on Apollo-era Moon samples.

Ocula's first deployment will occur on Elytra Dark, initially functioning as a transfer stage for Blue Ghost Mission 2. Once that task is complete, Elytra will stay in lunar orbit for over five years, using LLNL's telescope to capture high-value imagery in support of both scientific and operational space efforts.

LLNL and Firefly are collaborating under a cooperative research and development agreement. The telescope system is also slated for use on future missions, including Blue Ghost Mission 3 in 2028, further extending LLNL's technological impact.

"There is no shortage of amazing science we can do with an imaging payload like this," said LLNL astrophysicist Nathan Golovich. "Partnering with Firefly, we'll be able to take our sensors right to where we need them to do amazing exploration and science."

The dual-band imaging capability will help locate surface materials like ilmenite, which is linked to helium-3-a potential energy source. The extended mission duration allows observation of unique lunar events, such as the projected 2032 flyby of asteroid 2024 YR4.

"Firefly's Ocula service is an exciting new effort for LLNL to take our technologies and transition them for commercial use," said Tina Dinh, project leader for Ocula. "The lessons we learn will carry forward into our national security work, as well as producing amazing new data for science and exploration."

Bahney added, "As lunar exploration accelerates, LLNL remains at the forefront of innovation, enabling new scientific discoveries and supporting the next generation of space missions."