A snail-shell spiral in the Atacama.
A road climbs Cerro Armazones — host to the next generation of giant ground telescopes. CELESTE will turn observatories like these into eyes as sharp as those in space.
Unveiling the
Hidden Drivers of
Galaxy Growth
CELESTE pairs a small space-borne laser guide star with the world's largest ground telescopes — delivering the resolution of a 39-meter space telescope, at a fraction of the cost, this decade.
~3 mas
Angular resolution at 500 nm — twelve times sharper than Hubble.
39 m
Equivalent space-telescope aperture, achieved hybridly.
6 – 8
Technology readiness level. Flight-proven, on-sky tested.
2018
In active development since. First on-sky results in 2024.
Three Pillars
A telescope built
A telescope built
around three commitments.
CELESTE rests on a focused scientific case, a hybrid architecture assembled from flight-proven parts, and a programmatic plan engineered for cost discipline. Each is independently strong; together they make the mission inevitable.
01 · Science
CELESTE addresses decadal priority science
Revolutionizing our understanding of the origin, evolution and complexity of galaxies
Explore the science →
02 · Technology
Proven, tested, ready.
A robust Space Flight system and instruments that enable mission success. No tecnology developent is required.
See how it works →
03 · Programmatic
The right mission, at the right time.
An extremely modest budget that leverages billions of dollars of existing observatory infrastructure — delivering Hubble-class science within this decade.
Read key messages →
A note on the mission
Hubble's visible-light science is winding down — and there is no flagship to replace it for at least a decade. CELESTE fills the gap, now.
By placing a small laser guide star in low Earth orbit, CELESTE lets the world's largest ground observatories see the visible sky as clearly as a telescope in space. It is the only near-term path to diffraction-limited imaging in the visible band — and it works with the giant telescopes already paid for.
What's Next
The detailed mission brief is open and public.
Science cases, full system architecture, and the programmatic plan are documented in briefs available for review.