Feature Tech

SPIDER shrinks telescopes with far-out design

Telescopes could be smaller, lighter and less power hungry

illustration of SPIDER scope

BIG DREAMS FOR SMALL SCOPE  Lockheed Martin imagines a relatively small and light advanced SPIDER telescope with thousands of tiny lenses on one face of a surveillance orbiter.

Lockheed Martin

By Charles Petit

- More than 2 years ago

In the space business, weight and size are what run up the bills. So imagine the appeal of a telescope that’s a tenth to as little as a hundredth as heavy, bulky and power hungry as the conventional instruments that NASA and other government agencies now send into space.