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.

FROM HUMBLE BEGINNINGS TO HIGH-ORBIT ACHIEVEMENTS
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.”

That changed when Mahendra began crafting telescopes by hand—starting with a homemade mirror, a process that took nearly a year. That mirror became part of the first telescope he ever looked through. Since then, he’s built three telescopes and developed a love for astrophotography, which he now shares on Instagram under @deepskydiver.
Despite holding a degree and a respectable job, Mahadeo wanted more. In 2017, a life-changing conversation with the late Colonel Michael Shahoud gave him the nudge he needed. “He said that rejection can be a means of showing us the way forward,” Mahadeo recalled.
Inspired, he applied to the City College of New York, was accepted, and—with no scholarship in hand—saved diligently to fund his Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering, which he completed two years later.
By the time he joined Tele Vue, the company was already working on lenses for the PUNCH mission. Mahadeo was immediately tasked with designing the mechanical components of the WFI lenses, a responsibility he embraced with both skill and passion.

PUNCH: A MISSION WITH PURPOSE
The Southwest Research Institute (SWRI), which is leading the PUNCH mission, selected Tele Vue Optics for a reason. They needed lenses that performed with the precision of the legendary Tele Vue Nagler eyepieces, known for their sharpness and low distortion across wide fields.
“The WFI lenses we worked on have a field of view of 50 degrees and a focal length of 35.2mm,” Mahadeo explained. “We designed the lenses to meet those optical specifications because that’s what SWRI needed to achieve their science goals.”

Each lens is a singlet design and is ventilated—a crucial detail that prevents air from being trapped between the lens elements during assembly at ground-level atmospheric pressure.
For Mahendra Mahadeo, his contribution to NASA’s PUNCH mission is more than just a professional milestone—it’s a symbol of purpose and persistence.
“Just like that, when I least expected it, my dream got outside of my head,” he said. “But that is just my story. I found myself doing something that I found meaningful and inspiring.”
To others who are chasing their own aspirations, he offers this reflection:
“There is meaning in all work—whether it’s contributing to a worthy cause, providing products and services to others, or especially providing for your family.”
Mahadeo’s journey from Guyana’s East Coast to the forefront of space exploration is a powerful reminder that even the stars are within reach—especially for those who dare to build their own telescopes and aim them upward.