Charles F. Lillie

Northrop Grumman (Germany), Northrop Grumman (United States)

Papers

Total Citations

H-Index

About

Charles F. Lillie is a space systems engineer and researcher whose work has centered on the design, servicing, and future development of large space observatories. With a career closely tied to NASA's most ambitious astronomical missions, Lillie has made meaningful contributions to the practical and conceptual challenges of operating telescopes in space. His most cited work draws directly on NASA's storied experience servicing the Hubble Space Telescope, documenting lessons learned from correcting the telescope's infamous mirror manufacturing error and performing complex on-orbit upgrades — a foundational reference for future servicing mission planners. Lillie has also been a prominent advocate for next-generation infrared astronomy, contributing extensively to the conceptual development of the Single Aperture Far Infrared (SAFIR) observatory, a proposed 10-meter cryogenic telescope designed to probe star and galaxy formation in the early universe. His work on deployable optics further addresses the engineering realities of launching large aperture systems aboard existing rockets. While his citation counts remain modest, his research addresses high-priority strategic directions identified by NASA planners, making his contributions particularly relevant to students and engineers working at the intersection of space telescope design, on-orbit servicing, and far-infrared astronomy.