Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is undertaking an exciting and ambitious project. Their mission is to innovate advanced optical telescopes that will lead a revolution in lunar imaging. Program director Ben Bahney directs the effort to build and deploy two highly capable telescopes. Along with their partner, LeddarTech, they’re going to deliver an NVIDIA processor-powered electronics module within a challenging 13-month delivery window. This new breakthrough puts LLNL at the leading edge of the emerging commercial space services market.
The Sinequone Project, short for “absolutely necessary” in Latin, aims to fill this critical gap in imaging technologies. With rising global interest in space exploration, this project will help meet this coming demand. You can imagine, the pandemic hit, and the demand for these services skyrocketed. In 2023, the global space economy stood at about $630 billion and is projected to reach $1.8 trillion by 2035. LLNL is currently working on more advanced lunar imaging technologies. This new collaborative effort underscores the growing importance of tracking all activities taking place in space.
The Telescope’s Specifications and Significance
One of the pièce de résistance of this effort is the development of a monolithic, 20kg (~44lbs) telescope. This design is the largest of its kind ever produced by LLNL. Different from traditional telescopes that have a segmented design, this monolithic design provides a wholly continuous immersive optical experience. It does away tight tolerances and calibrations with a pair of distinct sheets of glass. Bahney explained,
“The reason why it’s useful is that you can’t defocus it if everything is fused together in a single piece of glass.”
This cutting edge approach allows a complex engineering challenge telescope design to be tackled with simplicity. It is providing improvements in performance under extreme environments, such as the environment found in lunar orbit.
The thermal and radiation environments in lunar orbit are dramatically greater than those currently experienced by such technologies. Bahney elaborated on these difficulties, stating,
“The lunar mission that we’re flying in a year is going to be tough. The thermal environment in lunar orbit is really nasty, and the radiation environment is pretty bad.”
These unique challenges require strong technological solutions which LLNL will seek to deliver with its new telescope system.
A New Era in Lunar Imaging
Ocula In NTX, Ocula is leading a new wave of commercial lunar imaging services. It addresses a critical hole in our national readiness. Perhaps most importantly, Jason Kim, chief architect of the endeavor, pointed out to underline the significance of this advancement when he said,
“This service will fill a void for our nation with advanced lunar imaging capabilities and a sustainable commercial business model.”
The United States is motivated to assert an ongoing monitoring presence on the moon, particularly in the context of other emerging international competitors. This move comes as China’s space program on Tuesday successfully put a relay satellite into orbit. They intend to land astronauts on the moon by 2030. Meanwhile, India’s recent success with its Chandrayaan-3 mission, which achieved a historic landing on the moon’s South Pole last year, further underscores the geopolitical significance of lunar exploration.
This change points to the critical and growing need for new and more sophisticated imaging techniques that can satisfy the needs of both industry and government.
“The huge demand for space services is a whole new world, even compared to just 15 years ago.”
The strategic implications of LLNL’s telescope project go further than just commercial interests. The Department of Defense (DoD) regards this capability as essential for national security and readiness, as Bahney noted:
Strategic Importance and Future Prospects
When each of their launches from large facilities, such as the John F. Kennedy Space Center’s Space Launch System, costs in excess of $2 billion, that’s extraordinarily expensive. Such a soaring cost creates an intense urgency to develop better, smarter technologies that stretch every dollar invested further.
“The DoD thinks that having this capability ready is going to be absolutely necessary because we’re going to have to respond to the need for imaging in deep space.”
With their innovative design and fast-paced development timeline, LLNL’s monolithic telescopes have the potential to fundamentally change the way we image the lunar surface. Bahney articulated confidence in this new approach:
LLNL is currently and vigorously moving this important project forward. This important work will significantly strengthen national space and economic security and generate new commercial opportunities in an increasingly competitive and contested space domain.
“Fundamentally, the reason why we can build these monolithic telescopes so quickly is because all of the really hard engineering is done at the manufacturing point of the glass.”
As LLNL continues its work on this critical project, it is poised to significantly bolster both national capabilities and commercial opportunities in an increasingly competitive space environment.