“Can Big Astronomy be nimble and economical?

Eric Schmidt, the former chief executive of Google, and his wife Wendy are betting on yes.

Schmidt Sciences, which is part of the Schmidts’ philanthropic efforts, is financing the construction of four major new telescopes, including one destined for orbit, that will rival the capabilities of NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope.

And the organization aims to have all four telescopes up and running within four years, a sprint compared with the decade or longer span that world-class astronomical facilities often take to complete…

Schmidt Sciences has for several years quietly financed preliminary design studies, technology development and prototypes.

The organization is now revealing its overall plan. Agreements with universities that will manage the ground-based systems are in place, and the manufacturing of components for the telescopes has begun.”

From New York Times.