2026 is already off to the races with many exciting new astronomy gear announcements, so lets add another one to the pile with a bit of a shocker from MLAstro. The announcement of the new heavy weight observatory class mount is a bit of a surprise since they are only just now shipping the second batch of the smaller SAL 33, but with payloads increasing from higher end gear, I am sure this announcement will come as a welcome for many serious imagers.
MLAstro has officially announced a new observatory class harmonic mount, the SAL-66. The headline is simple. It is designed for longer focal length setups and for remote, unattended operation, which is exactly where small mechanical compromises tend to show up fast. If you have ever chased guiding issues at two in the morning only to find a cable tugging on the camera, you already understand the point.
The SAL-66 is aimed at a kind of use that is different from grab and go imaging. It leans into a rigid Alt Az base, a drivetrain intended to reduce periodic error goals, stronger motors, and cable management that is meant to stay out of the way. MLAstro is also building the system around support for robotic polar alignment, with the mount structured to make that possible without relying on the old habit of tightening knobs by hand.
The SAL-66 steps up in harmonic size. Right ascension is specified as a size 25 harmonic and declination as a size 20 harmonic. That is a jump from the SAL-33, which uses size 17 on both axes. The stated goal is lower periodic error and better suitability for longer focal lengths, where the mount becomes the foundation everything else depends on.
Instead of trying to scale capacity by leaning harder on belt reduction, the SAL-66 is built around a NEMA 23 class stepper motor. MLAstro says this may be the first mount in this class to use a motor this large. More torque changes the whole equation, but it also forces changes upstream. Bigger motors demand higher current and voltage, so the controller is being redesigned to match.
Capacity targets are ambitious but framed as pending more testing. The stated goal is 30 kg (66 lbs) without counterweight and up to 50 kg (110 lbs) with counterweights.
Those specs are on-step with the super relilable Rainbow RST-300 mount that I use in my own gear line-up.
MLAstro is clear that this is not a simple scale up of the SAL 33. The base was redesigned for rigidity while keeping ZeroShift behavior and allowing through mount cabling. For long focal length rigs, that rigidity matters because wind, vibration, and small mechanical give can turn into visible problems on the sensor.
Field mounts can get away with messy cables because you are standing there. Remote rigs cannot. The SAL-66 plans to include a 12V 10A output on the saddle, a high speed USB Type C passthrough on the saddle, and a mount side connector on the saddle for users who mount an astro PC on the saddle, enabling a true zero cable drop setup.
There is also a practical detail that I appreciate. External connectors will be located on a stationary platform at the base of the right ascension gearbox. Keeping cables on a nonmoving platform reduces risk during unattended sessions.
MLAstro also calls out something that every remote imager has learned the hard way. Unreliable USB passthrough can ruin a night, so they have focused on stability over clever features.
Robotic polar alignment is one of those ideas that seems obvious once you have tried to operate remotely. If you cannot adjust Alt Az with confidence from a distance, you do not really have a remote setup. MLAstro says this has been the end goal of the SAL harmonic series.
To make it work, the mechanism needs to function without tightening knobs and it needs to be light enough to be moved by a small motor. ZeroShift is positioned as the first half of that, and the second half is being developed as the MLAstro Robotic PA kit.
The kit is planned as a retrofit option for both SAL-33 and SAL-66. The concept is straightforward. Buy the kit, remove a few screws, install it. The user interface is planned as both a mobile app and a web interface for manual electronic Alt Az movement, plus an Auto PA routine.
On the software side, MLAstro says they are working with Jasem Mutlaq, lead developer of INDI, to make MLAstro Robotic PA a new device class in INDI with workflow support in Ekos KStars for the existing three point polar alignment routine. For NINA, they note that a protocol already exists and they plan to integrate with NINA three point polar alignment as well.
Robotic PA is not expected at SAL 66 launch and is planned for later in 2026. The timeline depends partly on software integration, so it may shift.
MLAstro estimates the SAL-66 without the robotic kit at about 10 kg, with the robotic kit adding roughly 1 to 2 kg.
The SAL-66 is still under development, so pricing and schedule are subject to change. Current targets are $2,200 to $2,500 USD for the mount without robotic polar alignment. Put that in comparision to the RST-300 mentioned above at $10,000 and it seems a bit too good to believe. The first prototype is expected this Spring, with some parts already in production. Preorder is planned for Summer 2026, with first batch shipping planned for Autumn 2026.
It is easy to look at mount announcements and treat them like spec sheet contests, but there is a bigger story here. Payloads are going up, focal lengths are going up, and more people are building setups meant to run without babysitting. A mount in this class, designed from the start around remote operation and clean cabling, is aimed at that reality.
If MLAstro can execute on the basics, solid mechanics, stable data passthrough, and a real path to robotic polar alignment, the SAL-66 could land in a sweet spot for serious imagers who want observatory capability without stepping into a completely different price bracket. We will be watching prototype results closely as the year unfolds.
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