Nautilus Space Observatory (NDSO)
Proposed constellation of 35 lens-based space telescopes (Nautilus Deep Space Observatory), led by university-of-arizona and first proposed in the late 2010s. Each unit carries an 8.5 m refractive lens, instrument package, solar panel, and Mylar balloon — using lenses rather than mirrors, unlike jwst or habitable-worlds-observatory.
Science case (per src-nautilus-array-exoplanet-atmospheres-2026-07)
- Focused on exoplanet atmosphere formation and evolution: sub-Neptune/super-Earth evolutionary timescales, atmospheric mass loss, carbon-oxygen ratio evolution, onset of helium-dominated atmospheres.
- Covers timescales from protoplanetary-disk youth (0-10 Myr) to full planetary maturity (4.6 Gyr).
- Claimed combined light-collecting power: >2× JWST, >10× Hubble, ~100× ESA’s proposed Ariel telescope.
- Explicitly framed as supporting NASA’s Cosmic Origins and Exoplanet Exploration Programs.
Status
White-paper/proposal stage as of July 2026; current prototypes are much smaller than the proposed 8.5 m operational lens.