Event Horizon Telescope

What Event Horizon Telescope does

Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) is an international academic research consortium hosted by Harvard University that operates a planet-scale array of synchronized ground-based radio telescopes using Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) at 1.3mm wavelengths to image supermassive black holes at unprecedented angular resolution of approximately 20 microarcseconds. The collaboration links observatories across 4 continents (including ALMA in Chile, SMT in Arizona, SPT in Antarctica, JCMT/SMA in Hawaii, IRAM 30m in Spain, LMT in Mexico, and the Greenland Telescope) via hydrogen maser atomic clocks and specialized R2DBE/Mark6 digital backends recording at 64 Gbps per site, producing petabytes of raw data per campaign that are correlated at MIT Haystack Observatory and the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy in Bonn. Proprietary computational imaging algorithms and GRMHD simulations, combined with the unique observational dataset, have produced the first direct images of black holes M87* (April 2019) and Sagittarius A* (May 2022), plus the first polarized event-horizon image (March 2021). The collaboration comprises over 300 researchers from 13 stakeholder institutions across more than 20 countries, governed by a Science Board and Collaboration Board.

The organization's business model is non-commercial: there is no pricing, no product sales, and no licensing revenue. Operations are funded through multi-year grants and institutional contributions from governmental agencies (US National Science Foundation, European Research Council, Max Planck Society, and agencies in Taiwan, Germany, Mexico, UK, Japan, Canada, China, Netherlands) plus philanthropic foundations (Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, John Templeton Foundation). Observation time is allocated through competitive peer-reviewed proposal processes managed by time allocation committees, and calibrated data products are released publicly through CyVerse Data Commons and the ALMA Science Portal. Its customers are the global astronomy and astrophysics research community, which accesses telescope time via proposals and consumes published data for black hole imaging, strong-field general relativity tests, accretion physics studies, and jet formation research.

Growth vectors include geographic expansion (the 2026 Africa Millimetre Telescope contract adding the first African node in Namibia), algorithmic extension into AI-driven dynamic 3D imaging (TomoGrav project funded by a £4M UK Royal Society Faraday Fellowship in December 2025), and continued public data releases across the 2017, 2018, and 2021 observation campaigns. Outreach and education programs (TIMESTEP internships, NSBP/SAO Scholars, ALMA Kids) and a formal Speakers Bureau extend the collaboration's reach beyond pure research.

Name

Event Horizon Telescope

Legal name

The President and Fellows of Harvard College

Website

https://eventhorizontelescope.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Event Horizon Telescope is an international research consortium that operates a planet-scale array of synchronized radio telescopes using VLBI at 1.3mm wavelengths to image supermassive black holes at 20-microarcsecond resolution, serving over 300 astronomers across 13 institutions and funded by government grants and foundations rather than commercial revenue.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Radio Astronomy Research Infrastructure

SIC

Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826)

akta.pro primary industry

International Science, Technology & Space Cooperation Organizations (BPADAAAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Space Payloads & Instruments (Sensors, Comms, EO/IR) (IMABACAD), Space & Astronomy Programs (EDAMABAE)

Keywords

• Radio interferometry array
• Very long baseline interferometry
• Black hole imaging
• Millimeter wave astronomy
• VLBI observations

Headquarters

HQ city

Finland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Research Funding: EHT is funded through international governmental and private research funding agencies. Major funders include US National Science Foundation (NSF), European Research Council (ERC), and support from agencies in Taiwan, Germany, Mexico, UK, Japan, Canada, China, Netherlands, and others. No commercial revenue model.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Event Horizon Telescope operates a planet-scale array of synchronized radio telescopes linked via Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) at 1.3mm wavelengths to directly image black hole event horizons with ~20 micro-arcsecond angular resolution. Its core deliverable is observational research products—first-ever images of M87* and Sgr A*, polarized magnetic field maps, calibrated VLBI data sets, and GRMHD theoretical simulations—provided to the global astronomy community through peer-reviewed proposal processes and public data repositories.

Product overview

The Event Horizon Telescope is a global scientific collaboration (not a commercial product company) operating a planet-scale array of eight ground-based radio telescopes that uses Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) at 1.3mm wavelengths to achieve unprecedented angular resolution for imaging black holes. The core offering is the EHT Array Network of synchronized telescopes, supported by proprietary imaging algorithms that reconstruct black hole images from sparse interferometric data, GRMHD simulations for theoretical modeling, and publicly released data products. Access to observing time is provided through annual proposal calls submitted via the ALMA Observing Tool. The collaboration comprises over 300 researchers across 13 stakeholder institutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• EHT VLBI Array Network A global network of synchronized radio telescopes operating at millimeter wavelengths (1.3mm / 230 GHz), linked via Very Long Baseline Interferometry to create an Earth-sized virtual interferometer achieving ~20 micro-arcsecond angular resolution sufficient to image black hole event horizons. Used by the global astronomy research community.
• EHT Data Products Calibrated and processed observational data products from EHT campaigns (2017, 2018, 2021), including visibility data, polarimetric data, and imaging pipeline outputs, distributed publicly via CyVerse Data Commons and ALMA Science Portal with DOIs. Used by astronomers worldwide for independent reanalysis.
• EHT VLBI Proposal System Annual proposal-based access platform for 1mm VLBI observations using phased ALMA and the EHT array, with proposals submitted through the ALMA Observing Tool and reviewed by Time Allocation Committees and the ALMA VLBI Coordinating Committee. Supports continuum and spectral-line science in bands 6 and 7.
• EHT Black Hole Imaging Algorithms Proprietary image-reconstruction algorithms that fill gaps in sparse interferometric (u,v) coverage by ranking possible reconstructions by their natural appearance and selecting physically reasonable images. Developed by collaboration members including Katie Bouman. Powers the production of all EHT black hole images.
• GRMHD Simulations and Ray-Traced Image Library General Relativistic Magnetohydrodynamics (GRMHD) numerical simulations of accretion flows and jet dynamics around black holes, combined with general relativistic ray tracing to predict observational signatures. Used to interpret EHT observations and compare theory to data.

Quantifiable outcome

• First direct visual evidence of a black hole shadow (M87*, April 2019)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• Africa Millimetre Telescope (AMT) ConsortiummajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 March 2026International consortium led by Radboud University (Netherlands) with partners University of Oxford, University of Amsterdam, University of Namibia, University of South Africa, and University of Turku (associated member). Building the Africa Millimetre Telescope in Namibia as the first African node to the global EHT network, filling a key gap in the array.
• Radboud University (Netherlands)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeads the Africa Millimetre Telescope consortium and hosts key EHT researchers including Heino Falcke (Science Board), Monika Moscibrodzka (EHT Polarimetry Working Group Coordinator). Core scientific contributor to M87 and Sgr A* analysis.
• mtex antenna technologymajorTechnology or IntegrationSpecialized partner developing and building the Africa Millimetre Telescope using a proven telescope design adapted specifically for the AMT project requirements.
• MIT Haystack ObservatorycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerServes as one of two primary correlation facilities (alongside MPIfR Bonn) for processing petabytes of EHT data. Leads the ALMA Phasing Project and hosts Deputy Project Scientist Kazunori Akiyama and Data Manager Vincent Fish.
• Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics (ASIAA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey partner representing East Asian participation in EHT, hosting Satoki Matsushita as Collaboration Board Vice Chair and contributing telescopes including the Greenland Telescope.
• University of ArizonacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHome to the Arizona Radio Observatory (ARO) operating SMT and Kitt Peak 12m telescopes for EHT. Hosts Operations Manager Remo Tilanus and contributes significant observational infrastructure.
• University of ChicagocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOperates the South Pole Telescope (SPT) for EHT, enabling critical southern hemisphere coverage essential for full Earth-rotation synthesis imaging.
• Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPhased ALMA provides the largest collecting area in the EHT array (equivalent to ~75m diameter antenna). Partnership of ESO, NSF, NINS of Japan, Canada, Taiwan, Korea, and Chile.
• IRAM (Institut de Radioastronomie Millimétrique)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides the IRAM 30-meter telescope in Spain and IRAM NOEMA Observatory in France, both key stations in the EHT array for European VLBI coverage.
• Large Millimeter Telescope Alfonso Serrano (LMT)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner50-meter fully steerable telescope in Mexico, the largest mm-wave telescope in the array, providing critical baseline coverage between North America and Chile.
• National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerContributes to EHT through East Asian Observatory operations including James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) and Submillimeter Array (SMA) in Hawaii.
• Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics (Canada)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosts EHT Initiative and contributes theoretical astrophysics expertise including modeling and simulation work by researchers like Avery Broderick.
• Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners with Harvard University as Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, hosting Founding Director Sheperd Doeleman and contributing SMA and GLT telescopes.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA): ALMA is both a partner and the most directly comparable facility to EHT — both operate millimeter-wavelength interferometric arrays for high-resolution astronomical imaging. Phased ALMA provides EHT's largest collecting area (~75m equivalent), and the two share proposal review processes, data pipelines, and many of the same institutional users.
• National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO): NRAO operates the Very Large Array (VLA) and Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA), the U.S. national facility for radio astronomy and the historical parent of much of EHT's VLBI technology. It shares the same user community, observing model, and funding relationship with NSF, making it the closest operational and institutional peer.
• Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy (MPIfR): MPIfR co-hosts one of EHT's two correlation facilities in Bonn and contributes core personnel to the collaboration. It runs independent radio astronomy programs and shares VLBI technology heritage, making it both a partner and an institutional peer in radio interferometry.
• Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO): SAO partners with Harvard as the Center for Astrophysics, hosts EHT's Founding Director Doeleman, and contributes the SMA and Greenland Telescope to the EHT array. As a co-developer and primary institutional home, it is one of EHT's closest operational peers in radio interferometry.
• Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO): SKAO is the next-generation global radio interferometer under construction across South Africa and Australia. It shares EHT's VLBI heritage, international consortium governance model, and pursuit of unprecedented angular resolution, though at longer wavelengths and on a vastly larger capital scale.
• Institut de Radioastronomie Millimétrique (IRAM): IRAM operates the 30-meter telescope in Spain and NOEMA in France — both active EHT stations. As a dedicated millimeter-wave observatory with a similar user community, proposal model, and core science focus, IRAM is a direct operational peer.

Others

• LIGO Laboratory (Caltech/MIT): LIGO is a comparable large-scale, multi-institutional, NSF-funded physics observatory pursuing gravitational-wave detection of black hole mergers. While a different observational technique (laser interferometry vs. radio VLBI), it shares the consortium governance, federal funding model, and Nobel-tier scientific ambition that make it a natural institutional peer.
• IceCube Neutrino Observatory: IceCube is a comparable multi-institutional, NSF-funded physics observatory delivering complementary multi-messenger observations of black hole and high-energy astrophysics. Like EHT, it operates as an international collaboration with shared data products and a community of users overlapping EHT's high-energy astrophysics members.

Broad incumbents

• NASA / Goddard Space Flight Center: NASA funds U.S. space astronomy at a vastly larger scale and pursues black hole science through complementary missions (e.g., IXPE, future proposals). It is a broader incumbent in space research and a competitor for federal science funding.
• European Southern Observatory (ESO): ESO operates ALMA and other ground-based observatories, and is a core EHT stakeholder. While broader in scope (optical, infrared, millimeter), it shares EHT's intergovernmental funding model, European science community, and provides many of the same telescopes used in EHT's array.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ehtelescope
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC4sItzYomoJ6Flt0aDyHMOQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/ehtelescope
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/event-horizon-telescope

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Event Horizon Telescope