LUNA — AI-Driven Telescope & Observatory Controller

MCP Server + Lua Scripting Engine on ESP32

Let Claude AI control your telescope, camera, and entire observatory — in plain language.

LUNA Docs (NotebookLM)

📚 LUNA Docs — Start here for setup guides, technical references, and FAQ.
Ask questions directly inside NotebookLM and get answers from the official documentation.
👉 https://notebooklm.google.com/notebook/f2ce997f-18c2-44c4-8738-973b204c190c

💬 AiBridgeMCP Community — Join our Facebook group to ask questions, share your results, and connect with other users. The developer is also a member. Everyone is welcome.
👉 https://www.facebook.com/groups/1230935959149731

What is LUNA?

LUNA is a firmware for ESP32 that turns it into an MCP (Model Context Protocol) server with a built-in Lua scripting engine.

Connect LUNA to your telescope or observatory equipment, then control everything through Claude AI — in plain language.

You ──→ Claude AI ──→ LUNA (ESP32) ──→ Telescope / Serial Device
              "Go to M42"    serial command    🔭 slews

You ──→ Claude AI ──→ LUNA (ESP32) ──→ NINA (PC) ──→ Camera / Focuser / Guider
         "Image M42 tonight"   HTTP API       🌟 full automation

LUNA runs Lua scripts autonomously on the ESP32. Claude writes the scripts, deploys them, and monitors results — all through the MCP protocol.

★ New in v5.9.3 — Vixen Mount Support (UDP)

LUNA now supports Vixen Wireless Unit mounts (AXD, SXP, SXD2, AP, SX2, AXJ, SXP2) via UDP, and Vixen STAR BOOK TEN via HTTP — all through the new udp.* Lua module.

-- Example: slew Vixen Wireless Unit to a target
udp.begin(50000)
udp.connect("192.168.6.1", 60023)
udp.write("$MTTGT=1,83.82,−5.39,Orion Nebula\r\n")
udp.write("$MTMV2\r\n")
local resp = udp.read(2000)
udp.close()
log.write("GoTo response: " .. (resp or "timeout"))

Claude knows the full Vixen command set internally via vixen_guide — just tell it where to point.

★ New in v5.9.2 — NINA Astrophotography Integration

LUNA now controls NINA (Nighttime Imaging 'N' Astronomy) — the world's most popular free astrophotography software — directly via its HTTP API.

What this means

Verified working (2026-03-27)

✅ Camera connection and status
✅ Capture start / stop
✅ Autofocus
✅ Filter wheel control
✅ Sequence start / stop
✅ Guider start / stop
✅ ASCOM / Alpaca device control (switch, weather sensor)
✅ Stellarium integration

How it works

"Image M42 tonight"

  ① Check weather sensors → safe to observe?     (LUNA + Alpaca)
  ② Slew telescope to M42                         (Alpaca)
  ③ Run autofocus                                 (NINA HTTP API)
  ④ Test exposure → plate solve → correct pointing (NINA HTTP API)
  ⑤ Start main imaging sequence                   (NINA HTTP API)
  ⑥ Re-focus periodically as temperature drops    (NINA HTTP API)
  ⑦ Auto-abort if weather deteriorates            (LUNA monitoring)

NINA is the "hands", Claude is the "brain", LUNA is the "nervous system."

Requirements for NINA integration

• NINA v3.x — nighttime-imaging.eu (free)
• NINA Advanced API plugin (free, installed from within NINA)
• Port: 1888 (default), API Enabled: ON
• LUNA and the NINA PC on the same WiFi network

Key Features

• MCP Server — connects directly to Claude via the Model Context Protocol
• Lua 5.1 scripting engine — write, save, and run scripts on the ESP32
• Autonomous operation — scripts run independently; Claude monitors and intervenes as needed
• Vixen mount support — Wireless Unit (UDP) and STAR BOOK TEN (HTTP) via new udp.* module (v5.9.3)
• NINA integration — control astrophotography software via HTTP POST (v5.9.2)
• http module — http.get / http.put / http.post for ASCOM/Alpaca, NINA Advanced API, and Vixen STAR BOOK TEN
• udp module — udp.begin / udp.connect / udp.write / udp.read / udp.close for Vixen Wireless Unit (v5.9.3)
• MCP Resources — Claude reads device state naturally, like reading a gauge
• Script-to-script data passing — log.save() / log.load() enable stateful workflows without Claude
• Serial device control — full RS-232C control via serial.query(), serial.write(), serial.read()
• FreeRTOS dual-core — MCP server and Lua engine run on separate cores; no blocking

Supported Devices

PC Software Integration (v5.9.2+)

Vixen Mount Integration (v5.9.3)

LUNA works with any RS-232C serial device and any ASCOM/Alpaca-compatible device on your LAN.

Requirements

Hardware

• ESP32 development board (ESP32-DevKitC or compatible)
• RS-232C interface circuit (MAX3232 or equivalent)
• Power: 5V via micro USB (power bank or USB charger)

Ready-to-use LUNA boards (LUNA OnStepNinja V2 — pre-wired, pre-flashed) are available from the author.

Software / Service

• Claude Desktop (free)
• MCP connector (included in the GitHub Releases download package)

Getting Started

Step 1 — Flash the Firmware

Download the firmware binary from GitHub Releases:

Flash to your ESP32 using esptool or ESP32 Flash Download Tool.

📄 See LUNA_Quick_Setup_Guide.md for full instructions.

Step 2 — Connect Claude Desktop to LUNA

Configure Claude Desktop using the MCP connector included in the download package.

📄 See LUNA_Quick_Setup_Guide.md for the 3-step setup.

Step 3 — Start talking to your telescope

You:    "Go to M42"
Claude: → slews telescope to M42

You:    "Image M42 tonight, 3 minutes per frame, 20 frames"
Claude: → autofocuses, plate solves, starts NINA sequence

Example: Full Observatory Automation

-- LUNA Lua script: check weather, then start NINA sequence
local resp, code = http.get(
  "http://192.168.x.x/api/v1/observingconditions/0/humidity", 2000)

if code == 200 then
  local humidity = -- parse resp
  if humidity < 80 then
    http.post("http://192.168.x.x:1888/v2/api/sequence/start", "{}",
              "application/json", 3000)
    log.write("Sequence started. Humidity: " .. humidity .. "%")
  else
    notify.set("Humidity too high (" .. humidity .. "%). Imaging skipped.")
  end
end

MCP Tools Available to Claude

Lua API (inside scripts)

-- Serial control
serial.write(cmd)
serial.read(timeout_ms)
serial.query(cmd, timeout_ms)

-- HTTP (LAN only — ASCOM/Alpaca/NINA/Stellarium/Vixen STAR BOOK TEN)
http.get(url, timeout_ms)
http.put(url, body, content_type, timeout_ms)
http.post(url, body, content_type, timeout_ms)  -- v5.9.2

-- UDP (Vixen Wireless Unit)              -- v5.9.3
udp.begin(local_port)
udp.connect(host, port)
udp.write(data)
udp.read([timeout_ms])
udp.close()

-- Logging & data passing
log.write(message)
log.read([n])       -- n omitted = latest line
log.save()          -- persist to flash
log.load()          -- restore from flash

-- Hardware
hw.delay(ms)
hw.millis()
hw.free_heap()
hw.led(0 or 1)

-- Notify Claude
notify.set("message")

-- Script chaining
luna.run("next_script_name")

Hardware

LUNA OnStepNinja V2 — pre-built board available from the author:

• Pre-flashed with LUNA v5.9.3
• RS-232C connector (D-sub 9-pin) included
• Power: 5V micro USB
• Compatible with NS-5000, OnStep, and LX200-compatible mounts

⚠️ Cable note: Use a straight RS-232C cable between LUNA and a PC.
Use a cross cable between LUNA and NS-5000 / OnStep.

Contact: GitHub Issues

Documentation

📚 LUNA Docs on NotebookLM — Ask questions about LUNA directly.

License

The LUNA firmware binary is distributed under the MIT License.
Source code is proprietary and not published.

Copyright © 2026 Nishioka Sadahiko

Third-Party Licenses

LUNA incorporates Lua 5.1, distributed under the MIT License:

Copyright © 1994–2012 Lua.org, PUC-Rio.
Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions: The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software. THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT.

See also: https://www.lua.org/license.html

Author

Nishioka Sadahiko
GitHub: @OnStepNinja