The first privately funded space-based telescope is in the works

Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and his wife are funding the Lazuli Space Observatory, which could become the largest privately funded space telescope in history. The telescope features a 3.1-meter mirror making it bigger than Hubble, and will study exoplanets and supernovae while providing rapid response capabilities to investigate objects spotted by other telescopes. Lazuli is part of a four-telescope system that will make all data and software freely available to scientists worldwide, with operations potentially beginning before 2030.