For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. — Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)
A kilowatt-class emerald-green laser, mounted in a permanently-landed SpaceX Starship on the Moon's north pole, projecting a cross-shaped beam visible to the naked eye across all 48 contiguous United States — every Sunday night, for as long as we choose to keep it on.
Not science fiction. Every component exists today.
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Platform | SpaceX Starship HLS (permanent lunar installation) |
| Location | Lunar north pole, peak of eternal light |
| Wavelength | 532 nm emerald green |
| Optical power | 3–5 kW |
| Cross angular span | 0.7° (covers the continental US) |
| System mass | ~1.4 tonnes |
| Core project cost | $42–114M (launch separate) |
| Operation | Sundays only; first light target Easter 2027 |
- Design & Calculations (Markdown) — engineering reference: all calculations, mass budget, power system, cost estimates, and timeline
- Design & Calculations (PDF/LaTeX) —
full pitch document with figures; compile with
pdflatex
The prototype/ directory contains two Python scripts:
lunar-cross-visualization.py— scientifically accurate sky diagram showing the cross at true angular scale as seen from the USdoe_pattern.py— Gerchberg–Saxton algorithm generating a printable diffractive optical element (DOE) phase mask for tabletop demos
Requires uv.
cd prototype
uv venv
uv pip install -r requirements.txt
uv run lunar-cross-visualization.py # sky diagram
uv run doe_pattern.py # DOE phase maskBecause some things deserve to exist simply for the awe they inspire.
Stellar Dominion would be the first human-made structure visible from Earth with the naked eye beyond low orbit — proof that we are a species capable of leaving a mark of beauty on another world. Every child who looks up and sees it will know: we built that.
The engineering is feasible. The physics is settled. The question is no longer can we — it is will we.