The Lazuli Space Observatory

The Lazuli Space Observatory is a 3m space observatory designed for rapid-response observations and precision astrophysics across optical and near-infrared wavelengths. An off-axis telescope delivers diffraction-limited image quality to three instruments: 1) The Widefield Context Camera (WCC), capable of high-cadence multi-band imaging. 2) The Lazuli Integral Field Spectrograph (IFS), capable of precise spectrophotometry across 400-1700nm at a resolution of R~100-500. 3) The ExtraSolar Coronagraph (ESC), providing high-contrast imaging expected to reach raw contrasts of 1e-8 and post-processed contrasts approaching 1e-9. Operating from a 3:1 lunar-resonant orbit, Lazuli will respond to targets of opportunity in under 4 hours. Lazuli is conceived as a general-purpose facility capable of supporting a wide range of astrophysical investigations with open time for the global community. We describe the observatory architecture and its capabilities in the preliminary design phase.