A dive into the stars, within the reach of almost everyone. With Unistellar and Vaonis, France has two French New Space start-ups specializing in smart telescopes. Both created around 2016, these two companies from the south of France have given themselves the mission of democratizing public access to astronomy. “We created Unistellar based on a simple observation: almost everyone has a curiosity for the stars, but the flagship instrument for connecting to them, the telescope, did not fulfill its role,” explains Laurent Marfisi , co-founder and CEO of Unistellar.
To simplify the experience, the two start-ups decided to produce their own devices, and built applications available on smartphones allowing the telescope to orient itself towards the constellation, or the objects that the user wishes to observe. “It is the power of smartphones that allows the calculation and rendering of images. The phone also allows for a smoother user experience,” says Souhail Aloui, Vaonis marketing manager. No more need to scan the sky for long minutes through the eyepiece to spot celestial objects: with the smartphone application, you can find them instantly.
With this promise in mind, the CES in Las Vegas was an opportunity for both to strengthen their ranges and even unveil new ones. Such as Unistellar, which launched its new Odyssey category, high-end intelligent telescopes co-developed with the Japanese optics specialist Nikon. This product “is the first telescope capable of observing both nearby planets and objects located in the depths of the cosmos,” promises the Marseille company, which ensures fully automated focusing thanks to algorithms and a sensor. The Odyssey range is sold between 2499 euros for its basic version and up to 4499 euros for its Odyssey Pro Red Edition version, which offers better results in terms of optics.
With already 10,000 telescopes in circulation around the world and an assumed connection with the world of science, Unistellar also participates in astronomy research. The start-up has established partnerships with institutes such as NASA and allows its most experienced users to participate in this research. “It’s a new form of instrument for scientists. The universe is so vast, no one can observe it 24 hours a day. Our approach and our network allow complementarity with the giants of observation,” explains Laurent Marfisi. Last March, NASA notably selected Unistellar for an asteroid monitoring project.
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Vaonis is not to be outdone. In Las Vegas, the French group unveiled Hestia, a telescope which takes the form of a box the size of an internet box and weighing 500 grams. On this telescope, sold for 299 euros, the user only has to place their smartphone on the eyepiece and contemplate the sky from a dedicated application. This product, designed for beginners to watch eclipses for example, the moon or the sun, has a simple six-lens design system and prisms to focus the light on the smartphone camera sensor.
The start-up from Castelnau-le-Nez, not far from Montpellier, launched a crowdfunding campaign and raised 4 million euros for this product, which will be assembled like the others in the south of France. Like Unistellar, it focuses on an educational approach, with the possibility for users to have elements of understanding about what they see.
Hestia also took advantage of CES to expand Vaonis’ product line, which now includes five telescopes, intended for both amateurs and more seasoned astronomers. In Las Vegas, the French group presented its Vespera 2 telescope, a model with much more advanced characteristics in terms of optics and electronics, sold from 1,590 euros.
