NSF NRAO Helps Lead Radio Astronomy’s New Golden Age

By Jill Malusky · September 16, 2026

The ngVLA Prototype at the NSF VLA site in New Mexico. Photo credit NSF/AUI/NSF NRAO.

In a new article from the International Telecommunication Union, the United Nation’s agency for digital technologies, the U.S. National Science Foundation National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NSF NRAO) Director Tony Beasley and other experts explore the “new” Golden Age of radio astronomy, powered by the fourth industrial revolution that allows for the processing of previously unimaginable amounts of data in record time.

ITU’s article summarizes major advances in data processing technology, supported by global networks of scientific and technological collaborations and planet-wide networks of distributed telescopes and data centres.

These include NSF NRAO facilities mentioned in this article, thee NSF Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (NSF VLA) and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), of which the NSF NRAO is a partner, along with the proposed Next Generation Very Large Array.

The National Radio Astronomy Observatory is a facility of the U.S. National Science Foundation operated under cooperative agreement by Associated Universities, Inc.
	Founded in 1956, the NRAO provides state-of-the-art radio telescope facilities for use by the international scientific community. NRAO telescopes are open to all astronomers regardless of institutional or national affiliation. Observing time on 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. 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 (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.