Marshall Space Flight Center’s SOMTC is a world leader in development of adaptive optics technology for large segmented mirror systems, including space telescopes, ground-based telescopes and high-energy beam directors.

The Marshall Center has contributed to development of concepts for beaming laser energy to space satellites in the Space Laser Energy (SELENE) program. The Marshall Center has supported development of project ORION for directing laser energy to remove low-earth-orbiting space debris. MSFC is also working on advanced propulsion concepts, applying directed laser energy to propelling small satellites.

Most prominent are MSFC’s advances in technology for segmented-mirror space and ground telescopes. MSFC’s contributions to such bold endeavors as the Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST) and McDonald Observatory’s Hobby-Eberly Telescope (HET) derive from MSFC’s world-class adaptive optics testbed facility.