Research Facilities

View the NSF NRAO Research Facilities Brochure for 2025

The NSF NRAO operates three state-of-the-art radio telescope facilities for use by the scientific community, regardless of institutional or national affiliation:

    • Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA);
    • U.S. NSF Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (NSF VLA);
    • U.S. NSF Very Long Baseline Array (NSF VLBA);
    • U.S. NSF Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope (NSF GBT)

The scientists and engineers at the NRAO Central Development Laboratory (CDL) develop new instrumentation and capabilities for NSF NRAO telescopes.

Access to ALMA observing time by the North American astronomical community is enabled through the North American ALMA Science Center (NAASC) based at the NSF NRAO headquarters in Charlottesville, Virginia. The NAASC is operated by the NSF NRAO in partnership with the National Research Council of Canada.

Connect with NRAO

The NSF National Radio Astronomy Observatory and NSF Green Bank Observatory are facilities of the U.S. National Science Foundation operated under cooperative agreement by Associated Universities, Inc.

Founded in 1956, the NSF NRAO provides state-of-the-art radio telescope facilities for use by the international scientific community. NSF NRAO telescopes are open to all astronomers regardless of institutional or national affiliation. Observing time on NSF NRAO telescopes is available on a competitive basis to qualified scientists after evaluation of research proposals on the basis of scientific merit, the capability of the instruments to do the work, and the availability of the telescope during the requested time. NSF NRAO also provides both formal and informal programs in education and public outreach for teachers, students, the general public, and the media.

The U.S. National Science Foundation (U.S. NSF) is an independent federal agency created by Congress in 1950 "to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defense..."

AUI collaborates with the scientific community and research sponsors to plan, build, and operate cutting-edge facilities. We cultivate excellence, deliver value, enhance education, and engage the public.