Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is playing a pivotal role supporting a groundbreaking lunar imaging effort in collaboration with Firefly Aerospace.
A LLNL state-of-the-art telescope system will be deployed onboard Firefly's Elytra orbital vehicle to enable Firefly's new Ocula imaging service, as early as 2026. This marks the first planned commercial lunar imaging service, providing unprecedented ultraviolet and visible spectrum imagery of the Moon from lunar orbit.
The LLNL-developed telescope system is capable of up to 0.2-meter resolution of the lunar surface at an altitude of 50 kilometers, enabling detailed mapping of mineral deposits, high-fidelity site selection for future landings and enhanced cislunar situational awareness.
By leveraging LLNL's expertise in rapid optical telescope development, Firefly's Ocula service will support both scientific discovery and national security objectives.
"LLNL is contributing our optical telescopes to help enable this new commercial imaging service for lunar mapping and domain awareness," said Ben Bahney, program leader for space at LLNL.
"This collaboration is meaningful to LLNL because of our history of lunar exploration and analysis of lunar material samples from the Apollo missions. Our last optical telescopes flew to lunar orbit in 1994 on the Clementine mission, and with Ocula, we are once again leveraging national security capabilities in support of planetary science and lunar exploration. We are thrilled to return to the moon with our close partners at Firefly."
Firefly's Ocula service will be activated onboard Elytra Dark that is initially serving as a transfer vehicle for Blue Ghost Mission 2, which is scheduled to launch in 2026. After deploying Blue Ghost, Elytra will remain in lunar orbit for more than five years, utilizing LLNL's telescope system to capture critical imagery that informs both human and robotic lunar missions.
LLNL is delivering the system for Firefly as part of a cooperative research and development agreement. Additional missions, including Blue Ghost Mission 3, set for launch in 2028, will further expand the reach and impact of LLNL's telescope systems in lunar orbit.
"There is no shortage of amazing science we can do with an imaging payload like this," said Nathan Golovich, project scientist and astrophysicist at LLNL.
"Astronomers often spend a lot of effort to gain access to a telescope and collect data. Partnering with Firefly, we'll be able to take our sensors right to where we need them to do amazing exploration and science."
The combined ultraviolet and visible imaging capability will allow researchers to identify concentrations of minerals such as ilmenite, which indicates the presence of helium-3, a potential resource for future energy needs. The long mission lifetime also positions the system to observe significant lunar events, including the potential 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, the project leader for Ocula project at LLNL. "We are adapting and integrating our optical telescopes and electronics to integrate with Firefly's Elytra vehicle. The lessons we learn will carry forward into our national security work, as well as producing amazing new data for science and exploration."
"As lunar exploration accelerates, LLNL remains at the forefront of innovation, enabling new scientific discoveries and supporting the next generation of space missions," Bahney said.
