Sloan Digital Sky Surveys

What Sloan Digital Sky Surveys does

Sloan Digital Sky Surveys (SDSS) is a publicly funded international scientific collaboration founded in 2000 that operates a multi-object fiber-fed spectroscopic survey infrastructure spanning optical and near-infrared wavelengths across two 2.5-meter telescopes at Apache Point Observatory (New Mexico, USA) and Las Campanas Observatory (Chile). Its fifth-generation survey, SDSS-V (2020–2027), is the first facility providing multi-epoch optical and IR spectroscopy across the entire sky, structured around three Mapper programs: the Milky Way Mapper (targeting 4–5 million stars with the APOGEE near-infrared and BOSS optical spectrographs), the Black Hole Mapper (targeting over 400,000 quasars and eROSITA X-ray sources for reverberation mapping and accretion studies), and the Local Volume Mapper (an integral-field spectroscopic survey collecting ~55 million spectra over >4,300 square degrees using a dedicated four-telescope facility at Las Campanas).

The collaboration's instrument portfolio includes the Robotic Focal Plane System (500 robotic fiber positioners per telescope), the APOGEE near-infrared spectrographs (R~22,500, 1.51–1.70 micron), the BOSS optical spectrographs (R~2000, 3600–10400 Angstrom), and the LVM-I integral-field spectrographs. Data is processed through pipelines such as Astra and distributed publicly through biennial data releases — currently DR19 (July 2025), with DR20 scheduled for 2026 — via the sdss.org portal, SciServer Compute, the Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes, and new visualization tools (Zora, Valis).

SDSS does not generate commercial revenue. Its operating model is grant-funded and community-led: primary funders are the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the Heising-Simons Foundation, and the U.S. National Science Foundation, supplemented by institutional membership contributions from 20+ partner universities (Caltech, Harvard, MPE, UNAM, Yale, STScI, University of Washington, etc.). Institutional members gain early access to proprietary data and governance participation through the Astrophysical Research Consortium (ARC), which manages the collaboration. All survey data is released into the public domain at no charge for use by the global professional astronomy community, students, and science outreach audiences.

Name

Sloan Digital Sky Surveys

Legal name

Sloan Digital Sky Survey

Website

https://sdss.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sloan Digital Sky Surveys (SDSS) is a publicly funded international astronomical collaboration operating a dual-hemisphere spectroscopic survey (Apache Point, USA and Las Campanas, Chile) that produces open multi-epoch optical and infrared spectra for the global astronomy research community, funded by foundations and the U.S. NSF.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Astronomy Research and Spectroscopic Survey Services

NAICS

Space Research and Technology (92711), Space Research and Technology (927110), Space Research and Technology (927), Space Research and Technology (9271)

SIC

Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826), Instruments For Meas & Testing Of Electricity & Elec Signals (3825)

akta.pro primary industry

Test & Measurement Equipment (Oscilloscopes, DAQ, signal analyzers, calibration benches) (IMAGAFAC)

Keywords

• Spectroscopic survey data
• Astronomical research services
• Extragalactic spectroscopy
• Milky way mapping
• Supermassive black holes

Headquarters

HQ city

Batavia

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

Revenue model

1. Institutional Membership Contributions: SDSS-V is funded by institutional membership contributions from partner organizations. The collaboration actively seeks new membership partners who benefit from early access to proprietary data, participation in survey planning, and involvement in the global science collaborative network. Without membership contributions, the open-data public release commitment cannot be fulfilled.
2. Federal and Foundation Grants: Primary funding comes from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the Heising-Simons Foundation, and the U.S. National Science Foundation. Additional support from the Center for High-Performance Computing at the University of Utah.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Sloan Digital Sky Surveys operates SDSS-V, an all-sky, multi-epoch optical and near-infrared spectroscopic survey funded by foundation and federal grants. It collects calibrated spectra of millions of stars, galaxies, and quasars via BOSS and APOGEE spectrographs fed by a robotic Focal Plane System across twin 2.5m telescopes in New Mexico and Chile. Outputs are released to the global scientific community through periodic public Data Releases, Value Added Catalogs, web visualization tools (Zora/Valis), and Python tutorials.

Product overview

Sloan Digital Sky Surveys operates SDSS-V, the fifth generation of the survey pioneering panoptic spectroscopy as the first facility providing multi-epoch optical and IR spectroscopy across the entire sky. The offering is a platform comprised of three interconnected Mapper programs: Black Hole Mapper (targeting supermassive black holes), Milky Way Mapper (mapping stellar populations), and Local Volume Mapper (surveying interstellar medium in nearby galaxies). Data is collected via specialized instruments including BOSS and APOGEE spectrographs, a Robotic Focal Plane System, and the LVM Instrument, then distributed through Data Releases (currently DR19) with user interfaces like Zora/Valis, Value Added Catalogs, and Python tutorials. The survey operates from Apache Point Observatory (USA) and Las Campanas Observatory (Chile) with data publicly available.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Milky Way Mapper (MWM): A time-domain, optical+IR spectroscopic survey of Milky Way stars, targeting over 4 million stars across the Galaxy to understand the evolution of the Milky Way, stellar physics, and planetary systems.
• Local Volume Mapper (LVM)
• Black Hole Mapper (BHM)

Products and services

• SDSS-V (Sloan Digital Sky Survey-V) The fifth generation of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, pioneering panoptic spectroscopy as the first facility providing multi-epoch optical and IR spectroscopy across the entire sky, with contiguous integral-field spectroscopic coverage of the Milky Way and Local Volume galaxies. Free for global research use.
• Data Release 19 (DR19) The second public Data Release for SDSS-V, providing spectra and data products from the Black Hole Mapper and Milky Way Mapper programs, plus a preview tile from the Local Volume Mapper. Released as a publicly accessible package including Value Added Catalogs, tutorials, and Zora/Valis visualization interfaces.
• Zora and Valis Web-based user interfaces for interacting with SDSS-V spectra and data products via a web browser or API.
• Value Added Catalogs (VACs) Derived data products prepared by Black Hole Mapper and Milky Way Mapper science teams, providing enhanced datasets beyond raw spectroscopic observations.
• Python Notebooks Tutorials Python-based tutorials demonstrating how to work with SDSS data products, runnable locally or in SciServer Compute cloud environments.
• Institutional Membership in the SDSS-V Collaboration Research institutions join SDSS-V as member partners, receiving early access to proprietary data before public release, participation in survey planning, and involvement in collaboration governance through the Advisory Council and Collaboration Council.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 6 million objects to be spectroscopically observed by SDSS-V (2020-2027)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (MPE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSDSS-V Black Hole Mapper works closely with colleagues at MPE in Germany on eROSITA X-ray survey follow-up, providing optical spectroscopic measurements for hundreds of thousands of X-ray sources discovered by the SRG/eROSITA mission (launched 2019).
• European Space Agency (ESA) Gaia MissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSDSS-V Milky Way Mapper data is combined with ESA's Gaia mission data for Galactic archaeology studies. Gaia provides astrometric distances and kinematics that complement SDSS spectroscopic data, enabling high-dimensional stellar parameter maps.
• NASA TESS MissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSDSS-V and NASA's TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) form a joint platform for stellar astrophysics. SDSS-V provides high-resolution infrared spectroscopy of TESS planet-host candidates and red giants in the TESS Continuous Viewing Zones (CVZs) for precise age and mass determinations.
• Astrophysical Research Consortium (ARC)coreOthersSDSS is managed by the Astrophysical Research Consortium for the Participating Institutions of the SDSS Collaboration. ARC's Board of Governors makes critical decisions about scientific objectives, hardware/software builds, and operations. ARC Corporate Office is at University of Washington.
• Astrophysical Research Consortium — Participating InstitutionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipating institutions include Caltech, The Carnegie Institution for Science, Harvard University, Heidelberg University, Johns Hopkins University, EPFL, Leibniz-Institut für Astrophysik Potsdam (AIP), MPIA Heidelberg, MPE, Nanjing University, NAOC, New Mexico State University, Ohio State University, Pennsylvania State University, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, STScI, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), University of Arizona, University of Colorado Boulder, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University of Toronto, University of Utah, University of Virginia, Yale University, Yunnan University, and The Flatiron Institute. Institutions benefit from early access to proprietary data and governance participation.
• Apache Point Observatory / New Mexico State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerApache Point Observatory in southeast New Mexico is the site of the Sloan Foundation 2.5m telescope, operated by New Mexico State University. NMSU operates the facility as part of the SDSS consortium.
• Carnegie Institution for Science (Las Campanas Observatory)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLas Campanas Observatory in Chile is operated by the Carnegie Institution for Science. The Irénée du Pont 2.5m telescope and the LVM-I facility are located at this site, operated by Carnegie as part of SDSS.
• SRG/eROSITA (Spectrum-Roentgen-Gamma / Extended ROentgen Survey with an Imaging Telescope Array)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe SRG/eROSITA X-ray survey (German-Russian mission launched 2019) is transforming X-ray astronomy by discovering massive numbers of X-ray sources. SDSS-V Black Hole Mapper provides critical optical spectroscopic follow-up for hundreds of thousands of eROSITA sources, enabling classification and redshift measurements.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• LAMOST (Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope): LAMOST is a Chinese large-scale spectroscopic survey telescope that has collected spectra of tens of millions of stars and galaxies using innovative Schmidt optical design with 4,000 fibers. Direct peer to SDSS-V in operating a national-scale multi-object spectroscopic sky survey producing comparable stellar and galactic datasets.
• DESI (Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument): DESI is the leading contemporary multi-object spectroscopic survey, conducting a 5-year survey of tens of millions of galaxies and quasars using 5,000 robotic fiber positioners at the Mayall telescope. Direct peer to SDSS-V in large-scale optical spectroscopic sky surveys serving the cosmology and galaxy-evolution communities.
• PFS (Subaru Prime Focus Spectrograph): PFS is a next-generation multi-object optical and near-infrared spectrograph on the Subaru 8.2m telescope using ~2,400 fibers. Direct peer to SDSS-V in providing wide-field, multi-fiber spectroscopic capability to the international astronomy community for cosmology and galactic archaeology.
• 4MOST (4-metre Multi-Object Spectroscopic Telescope): 4MOST is a multi-object spectroscopic facility on the VISTA telescope at ESO's Paranal Observatory, designed to conduct several wide-field spectroscopic surveys simultaneously. Direct peer to SDSS-V in operating a multi-survey spectroscopic platform with community-driven target selection.

Others

• Gaia Mission (ESA): ESA's Gaia mission provides astrometric, photometric, and spectroscopic data for over a billion stars and is a strategic data partner for SDSS-V's Milky Way Mapper. Not a direct spectroscopic competitor but a complementary space-based survey with which SDSS explicitly integrates.
• MAST (Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes): MAST is the NASA-funded archive at STScI hosting SDSS legacy data and multiple space telescope datasets. It serves as a distribution and archiving partner for SDSS and other astronomical surveys, providing the long-term public data infrastructure analogous to what SDSS operates.
• Astrophysical Research Consortium (ARC): ARC is the consortium that governs SDSS, Apache Point Observatory, and several other astronomical facilities. It functions as the management and governance entity rather than a competitive peer, but is the institutional vehicle through which SDSS operates.

Emerging players

• Euclid Mission (ESA): ESA's Euclid space telescope conducts wide-field imaging and near-infrared spectroscopy of galaxies for cosmology. Emerging peer in the cosmological survey space that complements SDSS-V's Black Hole Mapper and extragalactic programs.
• Vera C. Rubin Observatory (LSST): Rubin Observatory's Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) is a 10-year imaging survey of the southern sky. While primarily an imaging rather than spectroscopic facility, it produces target catalogs that feed spectroscopic surveys like SDSS-V, DESI, and 4MOST — making it a complementary adjacent peer.
• MOONS (Multi-Object Optical and Near-infrared Spectrograph): MOONS is a forthcoming fiber-fed multi-object spectrograph for the VLT at ESO, providing optical and NIR spectra for galaxy surveys and stellar astrophysics. Emerging peer that overlaps with SDSS-V's Milky Way Mapper and Black Hole Mapper use cases but with larger aperture and different target selection.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sdssurveys
• Facebookfacebook.com/SDSSurveys
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sloan-digital-sky-survey

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Sloan Digital Sky Surveys