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| Format: | Preprint |
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2026
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| Online Access: | https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.02556 |
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| author | Roy, Arpita Feldman, Stuart Klupar, Pete DiPalma, John Perlmutter, Saul Douglas, Ewan S. Aldering, Greg Furesz, Gabor Ingraham, Patrick Stefansson, Gudmundur Kelly, Douglas Yang, Fan Yang Wevers, Thomas Arulanantham, Nicole Lasker, James Rigault, Mickael Schlawin, Everett Zandbergen, Sander R. Worden, S. Pete Anche, Ramya Choi, Heejoo Crossfield, Ian J. M. Derby, Kevin Edelstein, Jerry Eiklenborg, Mike Gezari, Suvi Giuliano, Paul Hom, Justin Hoyt, Taylor J. Kang, Hyukmo Kim, Daewook Kunnumkai, Keerthi Lacroix, Leander Males, Jared R. Maccarone, Thomas J. Milani, Kian Miller, Timothy N. Miller, Kelsey Lynn Nicolas, Pierre Palmese, Antonella Pero, Jason Pueyo, Laurent Rinaldi, Stephanie Sand, David J. Schneider, Christian Sabhlok, Sanchit Smith, Arfon Stefan, Irina I. Subramanian, Saraswathi Kalyani Van Gorkom, Kyle Wong, Andre F. Yoo, Jaegun Zaman, Md Abdullah Al Team, the Lazuli Science |
| author_facet | Roy, Arpita Feldman, Stuart Klupar, Pete DiPalma, John Perlmutter, Saul Douglas, Ewan S. Aldering, Greg Furesz, Gabor Ingraham, Patrick Stefansson, Gudmundur Kelly, Douglas Yang, Fan Yang Wevers, Thomas Arulanantham, Nicole Lasker, James Rigault, Mickael Schlawin, Everett Zandbergen, Sander R. Worden, S. Pete Anche, Ramya Choi, Heejoo Crossfield, Ian J. M. Derby, Kevin Edelstein, Jerry Eiklenborg, Mike Gezari, Suvi Giuliano, Paul Hom, Justin Hoyt, Taylor J. Kang, Hyukmo Kim, Daewook Kunnumkai, Keerthi Lacroix, Leander Males, Jared R. Maccarone, Thomas J. Milani, Kian Miller, Timothy N. Miller, Kelsey Lynn Nicolas, Pierre Palmese, Antonella Pero, Jason Pueyo, Laurent Rinaldi, Stephanie Sand, David J. Schneider, Christian Sabhlok, Sanchit Smith, Arfon Stefan, Irina I. Subramanian, Saraswathi Kalyani Van Gorkom, Kyle Wong, Andre F. Yoo, Jaegun Zaman, Md Abdullah Al Team, the Lazuli Science |
| contents | The Lazuli Space Observatory is a 3-meter aperture astronomical facility designed for rapid-response observations and precision astrophysics across visible to near-infrared wavelengths (400-1700 nm bandpass). An off-axis, freeform telescope delivers diffraction-limited image quality (Strehl $>$0.8 at 633 nm) to three instruments across a wide, flat focal plane. The three instruments provide complementary capabilities: a Wide-field Context Camera (WCC) delivers multi-band imaging over a 35' $\times$ 12' footprint with high-cadence photometry; an Integral Field Spectrograph (IFS) provides continuous 400-1700 nm spectroscopy at R $\sim$ 100-500 for stable spectrophotometry; and an ExtraSolar Coronagraph (ESC) enables high-contrast imaging expected to reach raw contrasts of $10^{-8}$ and post-processed contrasts approaching $10^{-9}$. Operating from a 3:1 lunar-resonant orbit, Lazuli will respond to targets of opportunity in under four hours--a programmatic requirement designed to enable routine temporal responsiveness that is unprecedented for a space telescope of this size. Lazuli's technical capabilities are shaped around three broad science areas: (1) time-domain and multi-messenger astronomy, (2) stars and planets, and (3) cosmology. These capabilities enable a potent mix of science spanning gravitational wave counterpart characterization, fast-evolving transients, Type Ia supernova cosmology, high-contrast exoplanet imaging, and spectroscopy of exoplanet atmospheres. While these areas guide the observatory design, Lazuli is conceived as a general-purpose facility capable of supporting a wide range of astrophysical investigations, with open time for the global community. We describe the observatory architecture and capabilities in the preliminary design phase, with science operations anticipated following a rapid development cycle from concept to launch. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2601_02556 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | The Lazuli Space Observatory: Architecture & Capabilities Roy, Arpita Feldman, Stuart Klupar, Pete DiPalma, John Perlmutter, Saul Douglas, Ewan S. Aldering, Greg Furesz, Gabor Ingraham, Patrick Stefansson, Gudmundur Kelly, Douglas Yang, Fan Yang Wevers, Thomas Arulanantham, Nicole Lasker, James Rigault, Mickael Schlawin, Everett Zandbergen, Sander R. Worden, S. Pete Anche, Ramya Choi, Heejoo Crossfield, Ian J. M. Derby, Kevin Edelstein, Jerry Eiklenborg, Mike Gezari, Suvi Giuliano, Paul Hom, Justin Hoyt, Taylor J. Kang, Hyukmo Kim, Daewook Kunnumkai, Keerthi Lacroix, Leander Males, Jared R. Maccarone, Thomas J. Milani, Kian Miller, Timothy N. Miller, Kelsey Lynn Nicolas, Pierre Palmese, Antonella Pero, Jason Pueyo, Laurent Rinaldi, Stephanie Sand, David J. Schneider, Christian Sabhlok, Sanchit Smith, Arfon Stefan, Irina I. Subramanian, Saraswathi Kalyani Van Gorkom, Kyle Wong, Andre F. Yoo, Jaegun Zaman, Md Abdullah Al Team, the Lazuli Science Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics Earth and Planetary Astrophysics High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena Solar and Stellar Astrophysics The Lazuli Space Observatory is a 3-meter aperture astronomical facility designed for rapid-response observations and precision astrophysics across visible to near-infrared wavelengths (400-1700 nm bandpass). An off-axis, freeform telescope delivers diffraction-limited image quality (Strehl $>$0.8 at 633 nm) to three instruments across a wide, flat focal plane. The three instruments provide complementary capabilities: a Wide-field Context Camera (WCC) delivers multi-band imaging over a 35' $\times$ 12' footprint with high-cadence photometry; an Integral Field Spectrograph (IFS) provides continuous 400-1700 nm spectroscopy at R $\sim$ 100-500 for stable spectrophotometry; and an ExtraSolar Coronagraph (ESC) enables high-contrast imaging expected to reach raw contrasts of $10^{-8}$ and post-processed contrasts approaching $10^{-9}$. Operating from a 3:1 lunar-resonant orbit, Lazuli will respond to targets of opportunity in under four hours--a programmatic requirement designed to enable routine temporal responsiveness that is unprecedented for a space telescope of this size. Lazuli's technical capabilities are shaped around three broad science areas: (1) time-domain and multi-messenger astronomy, (2) stars and planets, and (3) cosmology. These capabilities enable a potent mix of science spanning gravitational wave counterpart characterization, fast-evolving transients, Type Ia supernova cosmology, high-contrast exoplanet imaging, and spectroscopy of exoplanet atmospheres. While these areas guide the observatory design, Lazuli is conceived as a general-purpose facility capable of supporting a wide range of astrophysical investigations, with open time for the global community. We describe the observatory architecture and capabilities in the preliminary design phase, with science operations anticipated following a rapid development cycle from concept to launch. |
| title | The Lazuli Space Observatory: Architecture & Capabilities |
| topic | Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics Earth and Planetary Astrophysics High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena Solar and Stellar Astrophysics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.02556 |