Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network, Inc.
Goleta, CA
- UEI
- GKNXAU6D3629
- CAGE
- 4YGA1
- Primary NAICS
- 541715 Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology)
- SAM.gov registration
- Active through
Company facts
- Self-certified in SAM.gov
- Entity structure
- Corporate Entity (Tax Exempt)
- NAICS codes registered in SAM.gov
- SAM.gov registration date
- Physical address
- 6740 Cortona Dr #102, Goleta, CA 93117, USA
- Website
- lco.global
- Founded
- 2005
- Employees
- 51-250
- Estimated annual revenue
- $10M-$50M
- Industry
-
- Health Care
- Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences
- Life Sciences Tools & Services
- SIC code
- 87 Engineering & Management Services
Registration and certifications come from SAM.gov and the SBA; company details from public web sources. Updated .
Recent federal awards
| Award | Agency | Obligated | Awarded |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frameworks: an ecosystem of services for multi-messenger and time domain science -science has an unprecedented… | Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure | $676,261 | |
| Aeon+: enabling time-domain and multi-messenger follow-up at all wavelengths -the u.s. Has been at the forefront of… | Division of Astronomical Sciences | $1,969,052 | |
| USA sky partners: expanding access to authentic research experiences for undergraduates -a program called USA sky… | Division of Astronomical Sciences | $449,190 | |
| Investigating ongoing evolution of the didymos system for the hera mission from ground-based telescopes | Shared Services Center | $176,273 | |
| Investigating ongoing evolution of the didymos system for the hera mission from ground-based telescopes | Shared Services Center | $280,321 |
About Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network, Inc.
Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network, Inc., a tax-exempt non-profit organization based in Goleta, California, operates a global network of robotic telescopes that delivers federal funding to support time-domain and multi-messenger astronomy research and education as a federal grant recipient rather than a federal contractor. LCO acts as the prime recipient on 90% of its recent federal awards, which total $3.3 million in combined potential value across 42 grants and sub-awards, with the remaining 10% as a sub-recipient on NSF-funded collaborative research projects.
LCO's research and infrastructure portfolio centers on enabling rapid follow-up observations and real-time coordination of time-domain and multi-messenger astronomy discoveries from gravitational wave detectors (LIGO), neutrino observatories (IceCube), electromagnetic surveys (the Legacy Survey of Space and Time at the Vera C. Rubin Observatory), and traditional optical, infrared, radio, X-ray, and ultraviolet telescopes. LCO's principal capability deliverables are open-source scientific software tools and cyberinfrastructure: the Target and Observation Manager (TOM) Toolkit, a web-based platform for managing multi-messenger astronomy data and coordinating follow-up observations across petabyte-scale datasets; the Treasure Map, a visualization and coordination service for gravitational wave counterpart searches; and AEON+ (the Astronomical Event Observatories Network), a standards-based framework enabling observation requests via APIs across disparate telescope facilities. Representative grants include a $676,262 NSF Computer and Information Science and Engineering award (CFDA 47.070, through the Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure, October 2026 through September 2029) to enhance the TOM Toolkit with LSST data integration, machine learning pipelines, and cloud deployment; a $1,969,052 NSF Mathematical and Physical Sciences award to expand AEON+ functionality for coordinated follow-up across wavelengths; and a $820,304 award to develop and transition the Treasure Map from beta to a production-grade community resource for gravitational wave follow-up coordination.
LCO's customer base is heavily concentrated with NASA and NSF. NASA's Shared Services Center holds 23 awards worth $3.3 million (55% of award count), funding research on asteroid system evolution relevant to planetary defense missions; NSF as a whole holds 19 awards split across the Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure (5 awards), the Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences (4 awards), and the Division of Astronomical Sciences (4 awards). LCO also operates a substantive education mission: the USA SKY Partners program, funded through NSF's Division of Astronomical Sciences ($449,190 project grant, September 2024 through August 2027), provides authentic astronomy research experiences and telescope access to undergraduates at minority-serving and Hispanic-serving institutions across the continental United States and Puerto Rico, with curriculum and mentoring in English and Spanish. A predecessor pilot award ($234,639, completed July 2024) partnered LCO with Occidental College and the University of Puerto Rico–Rio Piedras.
LCO's sub-recipient roles support multi-messenger and gravitational wave follow-up science led by research universities. Since 2024, LCO has been a sub-recipient on NSF awards led by the University of Illinois (two concurrent Frameworks awards on multi-messenger orchestration and real-time observatory coordination, November 2025 and January 2025) and the Ohio State University (an award on cold exoplanet detection using gravitational microlensing, May 2024). Activity has been episodic — five awards in 2022, one in 2023, five in 2024, three in 2025, and one in 2026 — reflecting the project-grant funding cycle of NSF and NASA rather than sustained contract vehicles. No federal contract awards or contract vehicles appear in LCO's footprint; all federal funding flows through research and science project grants administered by NSF and NASA.
Quick answers
What is Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network, Inc.'s UEI?
Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network, Inc.'s Unique Entity ID (UEI) in SAM.gov is GKNXAU6D3629.
What is Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network, Inc.'s CAGE code?
Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network, Inc.'s CAGE code is 4YGA1.
What is Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network, Inc.'s primary NAICS code?
Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network, Inc.'s primary NAICS code is 541715 (Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology)).
Where is Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network, Inc. located?
Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network, Inc.'s physical address in SAM.gov is 6740 Cortona Dr #102, Goleta, CA 93117, USA.
Is Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network, Inc. registered in SAM.gov?
Yes. Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network, Inc.'s SAM.gov registration is active through June 26, 2027.
What is Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network, Inc.'s most recent federal award?
Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network, Inc.'s most recent federal grant award is Frameworks: an ecosystem of services for multi-messenger and time domain science -science has an unprecedented… (2608397), from Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure, on October 1, 2026.
On GovTribe
See Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network, Inc.'s full federal record
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