Federal contractor · BALTIMORE, MD

ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITIES FOR RESEARCH IN ASTRONOMY, INC.

ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITIES FOR RESEARCH IN ASTRONOMY, INC. received $244.6M in federal contract obligations in FY2026, on 3 awards (−18% vs FY2025). Since FY2017: $2.1B. Its largest customer was National Aeronautics and Space Administration ($244.6M). It also received $3.6M in federal grants and other assistance in FY2026.

Obligations · FY2026
$244.6M
New awards
3
Sole-source
71%
Single offer
0.0%
UEI
W1NBN156CYF9
Other than small businessNonprofit

Company family

Grouped from reported parent companies (UEI) and, where marked, AI judgments that two records name the same organization or group.

3 registered entities of the same company or corporate group, $244.6M in FY2026 together.

  1. ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITIES FOR RESEARCH IN ASTRONOMY, INC.BALTIMORE, MD · Family page
    $244.6M
  2. $0
  3. $0

Spending by fiscal year

Obligations per federal fiscal year (October–September).

  1. 162MFY2017
  2. 231.6MFY2018
  3. 138.2MFY2019
  4. 207.3MFY2020
  5. 120MFY2021
  6. 273.5MFY2022
  7. 196.3MFY2023
  8. 244.4MFY2024
  9. 299.5MFY2025
  10. 244.6MFY2026

Top buying agencies

Obligations in FY2026.

  1. 3 awards

What was bought · Where the work was performed

Obligations in FY2026.

What was bought

  1. Research & development$244.6M100%

Where the work was performed

Integrity signals

Shares of the year's obligations, next to the country's.

  • Low competition71%
    US 39% · $173.2M
  • Sole-source awards71%
    US 30% · $173.2M
  • Single-offer competitions0.0%
    US 8.7% · $0
  • Urgency justifications0.0%
    US 5.1% · $0

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Largest awards

  1. THE PRIMARY ACTIVITIES COVERED BY THIS EFFORT INCLUDE THE FINAL SERVICING MISSION AND SUBSEQUENT OPERATIONS THROUGH END-OF-MISSION. THESE ACTIVITIES INCLUDE: A. SCIENCE PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION INCLUDING: MISSION PLANNING SUPPORT, SCIENCE PROGRAM DEFINITION SUPPORT, MANAGEMENT OF THE PROPOSAL SELECTION, TIME ALLOCATION, AND GRANT AWARD COMMITTEE PROCESSES, AND SCIENCE COMMUNITY OUTREACH. B. ROUTINE SCIENCE OPERATIONS INCLUDING: PROPOSAL GENERATION AND RECEIPT, OBSERVATION PLANNING AND SCHEDULING, UPDATING INSTRUMENT HANDBOOKS, OBSERVING AND USER SUPPORT, DATA PROCESSING AND PRODUCT GENERATION, ARCHIVAL AND DATA DISTRIBUTION SERVICES, CALIBRATION ASSISTANCE AND DATA ANALYSIS, ANOMALY INVESTIGATION SUPPORT, USER GRANT ADMINISTRATION, OBSERVER ASSISTANCE AND ENGINEERING OPERATIONS SUPPORT. C. GROUND SYSTEM SUSTAINING ENGINEERING INCLUDING: SCIENCE OPERATION SYSTEM MAINTENANCE, INFRASTRUCTURE ADMINISTRATION AND SUPPORT, AND DOCUMENTATION MAINTENANCE D. SERVICING MISSION SUPPORT INCLUDING: PREPARATION AND EXECUTION OF THE OBSERVATORY VERIFICATION PROGRAM, INSTRUMENT DEVELOPMENT SUPPORT, AND OPTICAL ALIGNMENT TESTING SUPPORT E. GENERATION OF PERFORMANCE, SCIENCE RETURN, AND OTHER PERTINENT INFORMATIONAL REPORTS TO THE HSTP F. ASTRONOMICAL COMMUNITY AND GENERAL PUBLIC/EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH G. SPECIAL PROJECTS INCLUDING ORIGINS FORUM AND INDEPENDENT RESEARCH THIS CONTRACT INCLUDES AN ADDITIONAL TWO-YEAR PERIOD AFTER THE END OF HST'S SCIENCE-MISSION. THIS EXTRA TIME FOLLOWING THE CESSATION OF SCIENTIFIC OBSERVATIONS IS FOR TWO YEARS OF FOLLOW-ON ARCHIVAL RESEARCH. DURING THE FINAL TWO YEARS OF THE CONTRACT, ARCHIVAL OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE, AN ARCHIVAL RESEARCH PROPOSAL SELECTION PROCESS AND ASSOCIATED GRANT ADMINISTRATION, AND A PUBLIC OUTREACH PROGRAM WILL CONTINUE. DATA ANALYSIS SOFTWARE WILL ALSO BE MAINTAINED BUT AT A LOWER LEVEL OF SUPPORT SUCH THAT ONLY MODEST ENHANCEMENTS MAY STILL BE MADE. CONTINUING SUPPORT WILL ALSO INCLUDE THE COORDINATION OF DATA ANALYSIS SOFTWARE THAT IS PRODUCED BY THE ASTRONOMICAL COMMUNITY. ORIG PSC AR20$2.5B
    National Aeronautics and Space Administration· Baltimore city, MD· Research & development· Oct 19, 2016 – Sep 8, 2026· GSFC0198106DNAS526555
  2. THE PRIMARY ACTIVITIES COVERED BY THIS EFFORT SPAN THE MAJOR PHASES OF THE MISSION BEGINNING WITH FORMULATION THROUGH DEVELOPMENT AND TESTING, AND ENDING ONE YEAR AFTER LAUNCH WITH THE INITIATION OF THE JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE (JWST) SCIENCE PROGRAM. THESE MAJOR ACTIVITIES ARE SEPARATED INTO THE BASELINE PROGRAM AND SPECIAL STUDIES. THE BASELINE PROGRAM INCLUDES: A. MISSION REQUIREMENTS ANALYSIS AND OBSERVATORY/MISSION DESIGN SUPPORT INCLUDING: TRADESTUDY GENERATION, SCIENCE AND OPERATIONS IMPACT ANALYSIS, SCIENCE SYSTEMS ENGINEERING SUPPORT, AND DESIGN REFERENCE MISSION ANALYSIS. B. GROUND SEGMENT DEVELOPMENT, TESTING, MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS INCLUDING: OPERATIONS SUPPORT OF SI, FGS, ISIM, AND OBSERVATORY INTEGRATION AND TEST (I&T), MISSION SIMULATIONS, AND DOCUMENTATION MAINTENANCE, AS WELL AS LOW COST OPERATIONS CONCEPTS. C. SCIENCE PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION INCLUDING: MISSION PLANNING SUPPORT, SCIENCE PROGRAM DEFINITION SUPPORT, PROPOSAL MANAGEMENT AND USER GRANT ADMINISTRATION, OBSERVER ASSISTANCE, SCIENCE COMMUNITY OUTREACH, AND STAFF RESEARCH. D. COMMISSIONING PERIOD AND ROUTINE SCIENCE OPERATIONS INCLUDING: PROPOSAL GENERATION, OBSERVATION PLANNING AND SCHEDULING, OBSERVING AND USER SUPPORT, DATA PROCESSING AND PRODUCT GENERATION, ARCHIVAL AND DATA DISTRIBUTION SERVICES, CALIBRATION ASSISTANCE AND DATA ANALYSIS, AND ENGINEERING OPERATIONS SUPPORT. E. FLIGHT OPERATIONS INCLUDING: SUBSYSTEM (INCLUDING INSTRUMENTS) HEALTH AND SAFETY MONITORING, COMMAND GENERATION AND UPLOAD, SCHEDULE EXECUTION ASSURANCE, TRENDING, AND ANOMALY INVESTIGATION. F. SUPPORT AND EXECUTION OF THE ON-ORBIT COMMISSIONING PROGRAM. G. GENERATION OF PERFORMANCE, SCIENCE RETURN, AND OTHER PERTINENT INFORMATIONAL REPORTS TO THE JWST PROJECT. H. ASTRONOMICAL COMMUNITY AND GENERAL PUBLIC/EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH. EXAMPLES OF SPECIAL PROJECT ACTIVITIES MAY INCLUDE: A. FOLLOW-ON MISSION STUDIES. B. ENGINEERING NECESSARY TO RESPOND TO NEW JWST PROJECT TASKS.$1.6B
    National Aeronautics and Space Administration· Baltimore city, MD· Research & development· Oct 11, 2016 – Sep 23, 2026· NAS503127
  3. National Aeronautics and Space Administration· Baltimore city, MD· Research & development· Jul 1, 2019 – Aug 25, 2026· 80GSFC19C0054

Federal grants & assistance received

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITIES FOR RESEARCH IN ASTRONOMY, INC. received $3.6M in federal assistance in FY2026, on 48 actions (8 new awards), −65% vs FY2025. Its largest program was 43.001 · Science ($3.6M).

Assistance · FY2026
$3.6M
New awards
8
Actions
48
Since FY2021
$46.2M

Assistance by fiscal year

  1. 8.4MFY2021
  2. 7.8MFY2022
  3. 7.7MFY2023
  4. 8.4MFY2024
  5. 10.3MFY2025
  6. 3.6MFY2026

By type

  1. Grants$3.6M100%

Top programs

  1. 43.001 · Science$3.6M100%

Largest awards

  1. 43.001 · Science· National Aeronautics and Space Administration· Cooperative agreement· Dec 8, 2020 – Feb 13, 2026· NNX16AC65A
  2. 43.001 · Science· National Aeronautics and Space Administration· Grant· Dec 20, 2023 – Sep 16, 2026· 80NSSC24K0289
  3. 43.001 · Science· National Aeronautics and Space Administration· Project grant· Jul 12, 2021 – Jun 2, 2026· 80NSSC21K1053
  4. 43.001 · Science· National Aeronautics and Space Administration· Project grant· Aug 2, 2022 – Nov 26, 2025· 80NSSC22K1294
  5. 43.001 · Science· National Aeronautics and Space Administration· Project grant· Aug 10, 2026 – Aug 10, 2026· 80NSSC26K1165
  6. 43.001 · Science· National Aeronautics and Space Administration· Project grant· Dec 12, 2024 – Apr 29, 2026· 80NSSC25K7138

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 10, 2026, loaded Oct 10, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Subawards

Matched by Unique Entity ID: the first-tier subawards this organization reported as a prime recipient, and those primes reported paying it.

As a prime: who it pays · FY2026

  • Sub-contracts: $609.8K (6 subawards)
  • Sub-grants: $651.9K (6 subawards)

8 sub-recipients

  1. BALTIMORE, MD · 3 subawards
  2. NORTH SIOUX CITY, SD · 2 subawards
  3. LAUREL, MD · 2 subawards
  4. SCIENCEBETTER CONSULTING LLC$103K8.2%
    NEW YORK, NY · 1 subaward
  5. ROUND ROCK, TX · 1 subaward
  6. HERNDON, VA · 1 subaward
  7. COLLEGE PARK, MD · 1 subaward
  8. BOZEMAN, MT · 1 subaward

As a sub-recipient: who pays it · FY2026

  • Sub-grants: $1.6M (16 subawards)

11 primes

  1. DUKE UNIVERSITY$924.8K57%
    DURHAM, NC · 1 subaward
  2. PASADENA, CA · 2 subawards
  3. STANFORD, CA · 3 subawards
  4. SANTA CRUZ, CA · 1 subaward
  5. SEATTLE, WA · 1 subaward
  6. BOULDER, CO · 1 subaward
  7. SANTA BARBARA, CA · 2 subawards
  8. LEXINGTON, KY · 1 subaward
  9. CHESTNUT HILL, MA · 1 subaward
  10. NUMFOCUS INC.$13.7K0.9%
    AUSTIN, TX · 1 subaward

Its reported sub-contracts equal 0.2% of its FY2026 contract obligations.

By fiscal year

  • FY2021: $283.5K paid out · $334.5K received
  • FY2022: $369.9K paid out · $232K received
  • FY2023: $1M paid out · $813.5K received
  • FY2024: $4.3M paid out · $2M received
  • FY2025: $3.6M paid out · $747.5K received
  • FY2026: $1.3M paid out · $1.6M received

Primes report first-tier subawards of $30,000 or more themselves, and many go unreported (GAO-24-106214). Reporting moved from FSRS to SAM.gov in March 2025 and fewer sub-contracts have been reported since. Amounts are what primes reported; they are never added to prime award totals.

Source: Subawards (first-tier sub-contracts and sub-grants reported under FFATA) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov (reports filed in SAM.gov, formerly FSRS)), data current to Oct 10, 2026, loaded Oct 10, 2026 · Subawards loaded from FY2021.

Teaming partners

Companies this company reported paying, primes that reported paying it, from FFATA subaward reports.

Companies it pays

23 companies · $16.8M reported

  1. WIYN CONSORTIUM INC$6M
    TUCSON, AZ · 1 subaward
  2. SEATTLE, WA · 3 subawards · Scientific research and development services
  3. HANOVER, MD · 3 subawards · Scientific research and development services

Primes that pay it

28 companies · $7M reported

  1. STANFORD, CA · 16 subawards
  2. DURHAM, NC · 1 subaward
  3. YORK, PA · 2 subawards · Scientific research and development services

Showing the top 3 of each list. Open the profile for potential partners and the full lists.

Primes report first-tier subawards of $30,000 or more themselves, and many go unreported (GAO-24-106214). Reporting moved from FSRS to SAM.gov in March 2025 and fewer sub-contracts have been reported since. Amounts are what primes reported; they are never added to prime award totals.

Source: Subawards (first-tier sub-contracts and sub-grants reported under FFATA) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov (reports filed in SAM.gov, formerly FSRS)), data current to Oct 10, 2026, loaded Oct 10, 2026 · Subawards loaded from 2021.

Competitors

Companies that win from the same buyers in the same markets: obligations by agency and industry compared over the last three fiscal years.

Compared on 3 markets (agency × industry), FY2024–FY2026.

  1. LANHAM, MD · 48% of this company's obligations are in markets they both serveNational Aeronautics and Space Administration · Scientific research and development services
  2. SPACE NETWORK SOLUTIONS LLC$276.2M−20% in FY2026
    HOUSTON, TX · 35% of this company's obligations are in markets they both serveNational Aeronautics and Space Administration · Scientific research and development services
  3. CAPE CANAVERAL, FL · 33% of this company's obligations are in markets they both serveNational Aeronautics and Space Administration · Scientific research and development services

Showing the top 3 of 25 competitors. Open the profile for the full list.

Who sells to the same buyers in the same markets, not who wins against whom on a given contract. Prime contract obligations by the agency and NAICS code of each award; subawards are never added. A company is a family of legal entities, joined by parent UEI or, in part, by an AI reading of names.

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 10, 2026, loaded Oct 10, 2026 · FY2024–FY2026.

Lobbying and PAC activity

Organizations in House lobbying disclosures and FEC records whose names an AI judgment matched to this company. Those records carry no identifier shared with contracts, so every match is by name.

Across the company family of ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITIES FOR RESEARCH IN ASTRONOMY, INC. (3 recipients).

Matched organizations

  • Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc.AI match · 100%
Lobbying · 2025
$160K
4 reports
Lobbying · 2023–2026
$573.5K

Lobbying by year

  1. 2023$173.5K
    5 reports
  2. 2024$160K
    4 reports
  3. 2025$160K
    4 reports
  4. 2026$80K
    2 reports

Top issues

  1. Aerospace15 reports
  2. Budget and appropriations15 reports
  3. Science and technology15 reports
  4. Defense10 reports

Who was contacted

  1. U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES15 reports
  2. U.S. SENATE15 reports

Houses of Congress and federal agencies the reports list as contacted (a report names every one for all its issues).

Lobbying firms hired

  1. ACTUM I, LLC$533.5K
    14 reports
  2. Clark Hill, PLC$40K
    1 reports

Registrants who are individuals are counted, not named.

Lobbying amounts are the filers' own good-faith estimates on quarterly LD-2 reports (the law asks for amounts rounded to $10,000; under $5,000 need not be itemized), latest amendment only. When an organization files its own report, it replaces what outside firms report for it that quarter. Matches are by name. Lobbying and political giving are legal and public: they show engagement with government, not influence over any award. Correlation is not influence: these organizations' lobbying and their contracts are shown side by side, and nothing here implies either affected the other.

Source: Lobbying disclosures (LD-1 registrations, LD-2 quarterly reports, LD-203 contribution reports) (Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives), data current to Oct 10, 2026, loaded Oct 10, 2026 · 2023–2026.

Source: Committees, candidates and committee contributions to candidates (Federal Election Commission), data current to Oct 10, 2026, loaded Oct 10, 2026 · 2026, 2024, 2022.

Matches: Analisa AI name judgments (entity-match@1), updated Oct 5, 2026.

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 10, 2026, loaded Oct 10, 2026.