From Early Concepts to Lunar Hypertelescopes Roadmap for Next-Generation Optical Astronomy on the Moon
Abstract
Since the dawn of the Space Age, the Moon has been considered one of the most promising locations for astronomical observations. The absence of atmosphere, exceptional mechanical stability, access to the permanently shielded radio-quiet far side, and the possibility of constructing extremely large apertures have motivated numerous concepts for lunar observatories over the past six decades. Despite extensive studies conducted during the Apollo era, most proposed lunar astronomy projects remained unrealized due to technological limitations, shifting scientific priorities, and the high cost of sustained lunar operations. Today, renewed international interest in lunar exploration, combined with advances in robotics, autonomous systems, additive manufacturing, precision optics, and formation flying, is reopening the prospect of large-scale astronomical infrastructures on the Moon. In particular, lunar hypertelescope concepts offer the possibility of achieving unprecedented angular resolutions through diluted optical arrays spanning hundreds of meters to several kilometres. This paper reviews the historical evolution of lunar astronomy concepts, analyses the reasons behind previous failures, examines current technological developments, and proposes a roadmap toward future lunar hypertelescope facilities capable of transforming observational astronomy during the twenty-first century.
Versions
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BibTeX
@misc{hadjara2026from,
title = {{From Early Concepts to Lunar Hypertelescopes Roadmap for Next-Generation Optical Astronomy on the Moon}},
author = {M. Hadjara and T. Xu and S. Lagarde and H. Ji and Q. Dong and M. Diaz and M. Meftah and B. Foing and Z. Ping and X. Chen and R. Mendez},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2611.05434},
eprint = {2611.05434},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2611.05434},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - From Early Concepts to Lunar Hypertelescopes Roadmap for Next-Generation Optical Astronomy on the Moon
AU - M. Hadjara
AU - T. Xu
AU - S. Lagarde
AU - H. Ji
AU - Q. Dong
AU - M. Diaz
AU - M. Meftah
AU - B. Foing
AU - Z. Ping
AU - X. Chen
AU - R. Mendez
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/03
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2611.05434
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2611.05434
AB - Since the dawn of the Space Age, the Moon has been considered one of the most promising locations for astronomical observations. The absence of atmosphere, exceptional mechanical stability, access to the permanently shielded radio-quiet far side, and the possibility of constructing extremely large apertures have motivated numerous concepts for lunar observatories over the past six decades. Despite extensive studies conducted during the Apollo era, most proposed lunar astronomy projects remained unrealized due to technological limitations, shifting scientific priorities, and the high cost of sustained lunar operations. Today, renewed international interest in lunar exploration, combined with advances in robotics, autonomous systems, additive manufacturing, precision optics, and formation flying, is reopening the prospect of large-scale astronomical infrastructures on the Moon. In particular, lunar hypertelescope concepts offer the possibility of achieving unprecedented angular resolutions through diluted optical arrays spanning hundreds of meters to several kilometres. This paper reviews the historical evolution of lunar astronomy concepts, analyses the reasons behind previous failures, examines current technological developments, and proposes a roadmap toward future lunar hypertelescope facilities capable of transforming observational astronomy during the twenty-first century.
ER -