Contractor profile

Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc.

FY2026 ended Sep 30 · data still posting · data as of 2026-11-01†

† DoD contract data posts to USAspending about 90 days after award.

combined across 2 registrations Computed
$412.9M
Obligated
FY2026 · data still posting
3
Funding agencies
64%
From National Aeron…
72%
Non-competed
4
States
64%
In Maryland
4
Industries

In FY2026, Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc. received $412.9M in federal awards from 3 agencies, 64% of it from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, with 64% of the work performed in Maryland. Across FY2020 to FY2026 its recorded total is $2B. FY2026 ended Sep 30 and its data is still posting. Computed

Where this money comes from

Source
FUNDING AGENCIES
ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSIT
NASA
$0.3B
National Science
$0.1B
1 other agencies
$0B
Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc.
$0.4B
FY2026 obligated
band width = obligations · FY2026 · source: USASpending.gov

Where the work lands

Source
Maryland$262.9M
Arizona$109.6M
District Of Columbia$40.4M

Key takeaways

Computed
FY2026 ended Sep 30 · data still posting · data as of 2026-11-01
  • Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc. received $412.9M in federal obligations in FY2026 (data still posting), compared with $478.5M in FY2025.
  • The National Aeronautics and Space Administration accounted for 63% of it.
  • Of its $259.3M in contract obligations, 72% was non-competed, based on FPDS extent-competed codes.
  • Its largest recorded industry was Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences, at $161.7M.

Obligations by year

Computed
$356.3M
FY20
$431.2M
FY22
$365.6M
FY23
$478.5M
FY25
$412.9M
FY26 partial
▲ 34%
FY20 to FY25

Awards

Source

Largest active awards by total value

Awards whose period of performance overlaps FY2026, by the amount obligated on each so far.

AwardIDAgencyObligatedStartEndPlace
Primary Activities Covered by This Effort Include the Final Servicing Mission and…GSFC0198106DNAS526555National Aeronautics and Space Administration$2.5B1987-09-152027-11-26Maryland
Primary Activities Covered by This Effort Span the Major Phases of the Mission Beginning…NAS503127National Aeronautics and Space Administration$1.6B2003-10-012027-06-25Maryland
Construction of the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) Under the Major Research…1202910National Science Foundation$570.6M2014-07-012026-12-31District Of Columbia
Aura Management and Operation of the National Solar Observatory1400450National Science Foundation$296.5M2015-06-012027-03-31District Of Columbia
Products and Services Associated with the Design Phase of the Wide-Field Infrared Survey…80GSFC19C0054National Aeronautics and Space Administration$205.2M2019-07-012027-09-30Maryland
Management, Operations and Maintenance of the International Gemini Observatory -Nsf?s…2211469National Science Foundation$181.5M2022-10-012027-09-30Arizona
Management and Operations of the National Optical Astronomy Observatory1421197National Science Foundation$144.3M2015-10-012026-09-30Arizona
NSF's National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory (Noirlab): Management and…2211468National Science Foundation$116.5M2022-10-012027-09-30Arizona

Largest FY2026 awards

Awards that started in FY2026, by the amount obligated on each so far.

AwardIDAgencyObligatedStartEndPlace
Research Infrastructure: Mid-Scale RI-1 (M1:DA): Design of a Next Generation Ground Based…2535601National Science Foundation$19M2025-10-012028-09-30Colorado

What it does (NAICS / PSC)

Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences$161.7M
Mathematical and Physical Sciences$148.9M
Optical Instrument and Lens Manufacturing$71.4M
Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology)$26.2M
Science$3.6M
Integrative Activities$737.4K
All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services$144.8K

Competition

72%non-competed (often called no-bid), of $259.3M in contract obligations in FY2026Computed

This describes how contracts were awarded, not wrongdoing.

Similar federal contractors

Computed
Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC$3.7B
Battelle Memorial Institute$1.6B
The Regents of the University of California$1.3B
Uchicago Argonne, LLC$1.2B
The Leland Stanford Junior University$739.6M
Lockheed Martin Corporation$201.6M
Iowa State University of Science and Technology$62.2M
The Pennsylvania State University$2.4M

Registrations & divisions

Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc.W1NBN156CYF9$262.9M
Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc.LFDKLGTB62C4$150M

Related

Why the labels? The graph is only worth anything if the links are trusted. Facts taken straight from a federal filing are Source; figures we calculate are Computed; links we infer (corporate parents, districts, similar contractors, connections between records) are Inferred, worded carefully, never asserted as fact and never a claim that one thing caused another. Spot an error? Tell us.