Guyanese Engineer designs lens system for NASA’s PUNCH mission

WHEN the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket blasted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base on March 11, 2025, it carried with it not just advanced scientific instruments, but also a piece of Guyanese ingenuity—thanks to Mahendra Mahadeo, an Opto-Mechanical Engineer whose journey from Ogle, East Coast Demerara, led him to a key role in NASA’s PUNCH mission.
The PUNCH mission—short for Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere—aims to unravel the mysteries of the Sun’s outer atmosphere and its solar wind.
Among the mission’s crucial instruments are specially designed optical lenses created by Tele Vue Optics, where Mahadeo works.
He was responsible for designing the mechanical parts for the lenses used in the Wide-Field Imagers (WFIs)—three of the four suitcase-sized satellites that make up the PUNCH constellation.

Mahendra’s story begins in Ogle, where he was raised by his mother and grandparents. He attended Plindola Nursery, Graham’s Hall Primary, and St. Rose’s High School, where he graduated in 2007 as the Best Graduating CAPE Student.
After earning his Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Guyana—where he again graduated with honours and was named the Best Graduating Engineering Student in 2012—Mahendra pursued work in Guyana’s engineering sector. But he also had a growing personal passion: building telescopes.
“I grew up with all kinds of STEM-related interests, including space and astronomy,” he shared. “But I never got the opportunity to get a telescope or even look through one because I could never afford it.”