AURA (Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy) is a consortium of US universities and a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates astronomical observatories and Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs). The organisation manages three major centres: NSF NOIRLab, the leading US national centre for ground-based nighttime optical and infrared astronomy; NSF NSO (National Solar Observatory), which advances knowledge of the Sun; and STScI (Space Telescope Science Institute), the multi-mission operations centre for NASA's flagship observatories. Its headquarters are in Washington, DC.
Observatory facilities operated by AURA include Cerro Tololo Observatory in Chile, Kitt Peak Observatory in Arizona, the Gemini Observatory, and the Vera C. Rubin Observatory. Work at these sites and centres spans ground-based optical and infrared astronomy, solar astronomy, space telescope mission operations, observational astronomy, and the development of scientific instrumentation.
The consortium's stated focus is enabling scientists to explore the universe and make breakthrough discoveries, with an emphasis on international collaboration in observational astronomy. AURA provides observation time, data products, and scientific support to researchers worldwide, and is engaged in developing next-generation instrumentation.
