Nicolas Lodieu, a scientist working on the SELF project at the Laboratory for Innovation in Optomechanics (LIOM), presented the progress made on this experimental telescope at the international CHASES 2026 conference. SELF is designed to validate technologies for the direct observation of worlds beyond the Solar System.
The Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) has presented the progress made on the SELF (Small ExoLife Finder) telescope at the international Charting the Future of Stellar and Exoplanet Spectroscopy (CHASES 2026) conference. SELF is a technological prototype developed to test new solutions for the future direct observation of exoplanets and, in the longer term, the search for possible signs of life beyond the Solar System.
Nicolas Lodieu, a scientist working on the SELF project at the Laboratory for Innovation in Optomechanics (LIOM) of the IAC, took part in the meeting with the talk Small-ELF: The ExoLife Finder telescope: Status of the SELF prototype, in which he presented the current status of the project and the technologies being developed in Canarias for the next generation of large telescopes specialised in the study of exoplanets.
The conference was held from 21 to 25 September in Procchio, on the Italian island of Elba, and brought together international specialists in instrumentation, stellar spectroscopy and exoplanet characterisation.
A prototype for validating new technologies
SELF is an experimental telescope approximately 3.5 metres in diameter, made up of 15 primary mirrors measuring half a metre each, arranged in a circular structure. Its aim is not to compete in size with today’s large telescopes, but rather to serve as a real-world platform for developing and validating new optical, mechanical and control technologies that could subsequently be scaled up for much larger facilities.
The prototype represents a preliminary step towards ELF (ExoLife Finder), a large-aperture telescope concept specifically designed to obtain direct images of planets orbiting other stars and study their properties. One of its long-term scientific objectives is to analyse the atmospheres and surfaces of these worlds in search of possible biomarkers associated with life.
“SELF allows us to test these technologies on a real telescope before transferring them to a much larger infrastructure such as ELF. We need to determine how the optics, structure and control systems work together under real conditions, because this knowledge will be essential for designing the next generation of telescopes dedicated to the direct study of exoplanets,” explains Nicolas Lodieu, a scientist working on the SELF project at the Laboratory for Innovation in Optomechanics (LIOM) of the IAC.
Directly observing an exoplanet is an enormous challenge because its light is extremely faint compared with the brightness of the star it orbits. ELF’s strategy is based on combining the light collected by multiple mirrors in such a way that the star’s signal can be reduced with great precision while preserving the signal coming from the planet.
In his presentation at CHASES 2026, Lodieu explained how the LIOM team is working on technologies such as nulling interferometry, extremely precise control of multiple mirrors, advanced photonics, lightweight mirrors and new low-mass mechanical structures. The presentation also demonstrated the use of machine-learning techniques to help correct small differences in the positions of the telescope’s various optical elements in real time.
SELF is already taking shape in Tenerife
The project has made significant progress during 2026. SELF’s main structure was received at the beginning of the year at the IACTEC facilities in the Parque Tecnológico y Científico de Las Mantecas, after successfully passing factory acceptance tests. A new phase then began, focusing on the integration, alignment and validation of its different subsystems.
During the presentation in Italy, the team showed recent images of the fully assembled structure and of the planned site for the telescope at the Observatorio del Teide, where it will be installed to carry out on-sky tests. The dome that will house the instrument has already been installed at the Observatory.
SELF will make it possible to progressively test new solutions. In an initial phase, it will use a conventional structure and mirrors, which can subsequently be replaced with lighter and more experimental technologies developed by LIOM, such as ultralight mirrors and structures based on pretensioned cables. The aim is to determine whether these concepts can enable the construction of large-aperture telescopes with significantly lower mass and cost.
A laboratory for observing other worlds
SELF is being developed within the Laboratory for Innovation in Optomechanics (LIOM) of the IAC, which is dedicated to the design and validation of optical and mechanical technologies for the next generation of ground- and space-based telescopes.
Its research areas include ultralight mirrors, tensegrity structures (based on rigid elements and tensioned cables), advanced photonics and new techniques for measuring and correcting the deformations that affect light during astronomical observations.
The presentation at CHASES 2026 also showcased some of the developments that the laboratory is pursuing in parallel, ranging from laboratory-scale optical prototypes to photonic sensors and artificial intelligence algorithms for mirror control.
These technologies are particularly relevant to the direct observation of exoplanets. Separating the faint signal of a planet from the much more intense light of its star requires extremely high levels of resolution, sensitivity and contrast, as well as highly precise control of the position and shape of each telescope mirror.
From detecting exoplanets to studying them directly
In addition to serving as a technology demonstrator, SELF will have its own scientific capabilities. Its planned science cases include the direct detection of certain exoplanets, the study of possible moons around planets and brown dwarfs, analysis of the rotation and variability of planetary-mass objects, and the search for substellar companions around nearby stars.
One of its main advantages will be having a telescope specifically dedicated to this type of research, with a significant number of observing nights available for programmes requiring long-term monitoring.
SELF will therefore combine two functions: producing its own scientific results while simultaneously providing the team with the technical experience needed to make progress towards ELF and future instruments capable of studying Earth-like planets in greater detail.
A strategic line of the CELESTE project
The development of SELF and LIOM’s activities form part of CELESTE (Cutting Edge Leap to Excellence in Space and Optics Technologies), an initiative led by the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias to strengthen Canarias’ capabilities in advanced optical technologies and space.
Through CELESTE, LIOM and other specialised laboratories form a technological ecosystem covering everything from research and design to the integration, validation and transfer of new technologies. This strategy seeks to strengthen the IAC’s capacity to develop cutting-edge astronomical instrumentation and position Canarias as an international hub for the development of advanced optical technologies.
The IAC’s participation in CHASES 2026 places these developments within the international debate on the next generation of instrumentation for the study of stars and exoplanets. The meeting, jointly organised by ESO, INAF and OCA, addressed advances in high-precision spectroscopy, the characterisation of planetary systems and new instruments for large telescopes, as well as the scientific and technological challenges that will shape the coming decades.
LIOM is funded by the European Union under the Horizonte Europa research and innovation programme, within the ERA Chairs initiative of Widening Participation and Strengthening the European Research Area (Grant Agreement No. 101087032). Nicolas Lodieu’s participation in CHASES 2026 has been funded by his project from the Agencia Estatal de Investigación del Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (AEI-MCINN), programme PID2022-137241NB-C41. CELESTE officially began on 1 January 2025 and will run until the end of 2030. It is funded by the European Union under Grant Agreement No. 101136736, with complementary funding from the Gobierno de Canarias and the Cabildo de Tenerife, and has been recognised as a strategic project in the fields of Astrophysics, Space and Aeronautics.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Council Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
