Firefly Aerospace Launches Ocula: New Lunar Imaging Service via Elytra

On June 18, 2025, Firefly Aerospace, a leader in responsive space services, announced the launch of Ocula, a groundbreaking lunar imaging service that will utilize the company’s Elytra orbital vehicles. This service aims to provide high-resolution ultraviolet and visible spectrum imaging of the Moon, facilitating advanced mineral identification, mapping of potential landing sites, and enhancing cislunar situational awareness. Set to be operational as early as 2026, Ocula represents a significant advancement in commercial space capabilities.

The Ocula service is powered by sophisticated telescopes developed by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). These telescopes, designed to operate in lunar orbit, will capture images with a remarkable resolution of up to 0.2 meters from an altitude of 50 kilometers. According to Jason Kim, CEO of Firefly Aerospace, "Ocula will be one of the first, if not the first, commercial lunar imaging service on the market. This service will fill a significant void for our nation with advanced lunar imaging capabilities and a sustainable commercial business model."

Ocula will initially be activated on the Elytra Dark spacecraft, which is designated to serve as a transfer vehicle for the Blue Ghost Mission 2, scheduled for launch in 2026. After the mission's completion, Elytra will remain in lunar orbit for over five years to continuously capture and transmit imagery back to Earth. This long-term operational capacity is expected to enhance data collection and support ongoing lunar exploration efforts.

The telescopes aboard Elytra are engineered to support not only detailed lunar reconnaissance but also to monitor other objects within cislunar space, contributing to broader space situational awareness. Ben Bahney, program leader for space at LLNL, stated, "LLNL is contributing our optical telescopes to help enable this new commercial imaging service for lunar mapping and domain awareness. There is no shortage of exploration and science this system can support, including more accurate observations of asteroid 2024 YR4 as it approaches the Moon in 2032."

Firefly Aerospace plans to license the data generated by the Ocula service to both government and commercial customers at a competitive rate. The company will begin by incorporating the Ocula service into existing funded missions, including the upcoming Blue Ghost Mission 2 and another scheduled for 2028, which will also feature an Elytra Dark spacecraft.

As Firefly continues to expand its spacecraft production capabilities, it plans to increase the number of Elytra vehicles in lunar orbit. This expansion is expected to facilitate quicker revisit times for vital situational awareness, resource detection, and mission planning, with the potential to extend the service to other planetary bodies, including Mars.

In summary, Firefly Aerospace’s Ocula service marks a pivotal development in lunar exploration and commercial space operations, promising to provide critical data that will support future robotic and human missions, as well as contribute to national security through enhanced intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities.

For further details on the Ocula service, visit Firefly Aerospace's official website.