Firefly Aerospace has unveiled a new lunar imaging service called Ocula, set to debut as early as 2026 aboard its Elytra spacecraft. Enabled by high-resolution ultraviolet and visible spectrum telescopes from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Ocula will support mineral detection, landing site scouting, and enhanced cislunar domain awareness.
"Ocula will be one of the first, if by Clarence Oxford
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jun 21, 2025
Firefly Aerospace has unveiled a new lunar imaging service called Ocula, set to debut as early as 2026 aboard its Elytra spacecraft. Enabled by high-resolution ultraviolet and visible spectrum telescopes from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Ocula will support mineral detection, landing site scouting, and enhanced cislunar domain awareness.
"Ocula will be one of the first, if not the first, commercial lunar imaging service on the market," said Firefly CEO Jason Kim. "Powered by a constellation of Elytra vehicles in lunar orbit, and eventually Mars orbit, Ocula will provide critical data that informs future human and robotic missions and supports national security with intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance."
Ocula's first deployment will be on Elytra Dark, launching in 2026 with Firefly's Blue Ghost Mission 2. Initially serving as a transfer stage, Elytra will later function as a communications relay and calibration node before beginning its extended lunar imaging mission. The spacecraft will remain in orbit for over five years, transmitting continuous imagery back to Earth.
LLNL's telescopes aboard Elytra are capable of capturing lunar surface images at 0.2-meter resolution from an altitude of 50 kilometers. These instruments will identify helium-3-rich ilmenite and monitor other objects in cislunar space. LLNL's Ben Bahney noted, "There is no shortage of exploration and science this system can support, including more accurate observations of asteroid 2024 YR4 as it approaches the Moon in 2032."
To broaden access, Firefly will license the imaging data to commercial and government users at low cost, leveraging missions that are already fully funded. Blue Ghost Mission 3, launching in 2028, will feature another Elytra Dark unit equipped for additional five-year lunar imaging operations.
Firefly plans to expand its Elytra fleet to reduce revisit intervals and improve coverage. The company also intends to extend Ocula's capabilities to Mars and other destinations, reinforcing its strategy of enabling sustainable space operations and responsive mission support.
For more information on Ocula, visit here
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