Micro-g LaCoste
Micro-g LaCoste manufactures absolute and dynamic gravity meters using ballistic freefall and zero-length spring technologies for land, marine, and airborne applications. It serves scientific researchers, oil and gas explorers, mining operators, and geophysical survey firms worldwide as a division of LRS.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2006
- HeadquartersLafayette, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Micro-g LaCoste does
Micro-g LaCoste is a Lafayette, Colorado-based manufacturer of high-precision gravity measurement instruments, operating as a division of LaCoste & Romberg - Scintrex, Inc. (LRS). The company produces absolute gravimeters (FG5-X, A10) based on the ballistic freefall method and relative/dynamic gravimeters (gPhoneX, CG-6, SEA III, TAGS-7) built on Dr. Lucien LaCoste's patented zero-length spring and suspension system, covering land, marine, and airborne survey applications. Its instruments are used by academic and government earth science researchers, oil and gas exploration teams, mining operators, and commercial geophysical survey providers for tasks including earthquake and volcanic monitoring, earth tide observation, reservoir and carbon sequestration surveillance, and mineral deposit detection.
The underlying technology stack pairs the proprietary Zero-Length Spring sensor with subsystems such as the Aliod beam nulling system (0.1 microGal resolution), double oven temperature control, gyro-stabilized gimbal platforms, MEMS IMU feedback for marine operation, and rubidium-clock timing locked to GPS. The ballistic freefall approach was recognized by the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (BIPM) in 2004 as an official primary method for measuring gravity, anchoring the company's metrology credibility. Micro-g LaCoste's lineage combines LaCoste Romberg LLC (founded 1939) with Micro-g Solutions, Inc. (founded 1993), merged in September 2006.
The business model is predominantly direct hardware sales of low-volume, high-unit-cost instruments, supplemented by gravity survey services and technical support. The company markets globally through a corporate website with a Request a Quote workflow, attends industry symposiums, and uses regional channel partners such as Laurel Marine for the China and Asia-Pacific marine market. Pricing is not publicly disclosed, and customer relationships are anchored in long product lifecycles and recurring service demand from a deployed base that has accumulated hundreds of thousands of line kilometers of survey data over more than 50 years.
Micro-g LaCoste firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Micro-g LaCoste
- Legal name
- Micro-g LaCoste Inc.
- Website
- https://microglacoste.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2006
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Micro-g LaCoste manufactures absolute and dynamic gravity meters using ballistic freefall and zero-length spring technologies for land, marine, and airborne applications. It serves scientific researchers, oil and gas explorers, mining operators, and geophysical survey firms worldwide as a division of LRS.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Micro-g LaCoste industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Geophysical Instrumentation
- NAICS
- Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (33451)
- SIC
- Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Weighing & Force Measurement (Load cells, scales, torque, strain measurement) (IMAGAFAF)
Keywords
Where Micro-g LaCoste is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lafayette
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Micro-g LaCoste business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Gravity Instrumentation Sales: Sale of absolute and dynamic gravity meters including FG5-X, A10, gPhoneX, CG-6, SEA III, and TAGS-7 systems. Products are sold directly to customers globally for scientific, exploration, and monitoring applications.
- Survey Services: Gravity survey solutions and support services for customers conducting land, airborne, and marine gravity surveys.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels3 records
Micro-g LaCoste product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Micro-g LaCoste manufactures and sells absolute and dynamic gravity meters (gravimeters) for land, airborne, and marine applications, including the FG5-X, A10, gPhoneX, CG-6, SEA III, and TAGS-7 systems. The company also provides gravity survey solutions and technical support for scientific research, oil and gas exploration, mining, and geophysical monitoring applications globally.
Product overview
Micro-g LaCoste manufactures a comprehensive portfolio of absolute and dynamic gravity measurement instruments for land, marine, and airborne applications. The product line centers on absolute gravimeters (FG5-X, A10) using ballistic free-fall techniques, relative gravity meters (gPhoneX, CG-6) employing Zero-Length Spring technology, and dynamic gravity systems (SEA III, TAGS-7) designed for moving platform operations. These products serve diverse applications including earth studies (earthquake monitoring, earth tide observation), oil and gas exploration (onshore, offshore, reservoir monitoring), and regional investigations (carbon sequestration, mineral deposit detection). The company traces its roots to LaCoste Romberg (founded 1939) and Micro-g Solutions (founded 1993), merged in 2006 to form the current entity.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- FG5-X Absolute Gravity Meter
Quantifiable outcome
- Sea III systems achieved crossover misfit RMS from 0.23 to 0.49 mGals across various survey vessels
Companies that use Micro-g LaCoste
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Micro-g LaCoste technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature7 records
Micro-g LaCoste partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and notable.
- Laurel MarinecoreLaurel Marine, China, sponsored the 2021 Marine Gravity Survey Technology Symposium and serves as Micro-g LaCoste's regional distributor for China. Laurel Marine provides sales, technical support, and sea trial services for MGL's Sea III marine gravity system. They have conducted multiple sea trials on vessels from 500 to 5,000 tons.
- Scintrex Ltd.coreScintrex Ltd. is Micro-g LaCoste's sister company, both divisions of LRS. Scintrex manufactures relative survey gravity meters, magnetometers, and electrical instrumentation. The companies share technology and have merged in the past (Micro-g Solutions merged with Scintrex in 1999; LaCoste & Romberg and Scintrex merged in 2001).
- NOAA/NGS (National Geodetic Survey)notableMicro-g LaCoste partnered with NOAA/NGS to fly the TAGS-7 Gravity System in Aurora Flight Sciences' Centaur Optionally-Piloted Aircraft, demonstrating the technology's capabilities for airborne survey applications.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Micro-g LaCoste competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Exail (formerly iXblue / Muquans): Through its Muquans heritage, Exail develops quantum / cold-atom absolute gravimeters (e.g., Absolute Quantum Gravimeter) for field and marine deployment, representing a next-generation technological competitor to Micro-g LaCoste's classical free-fall approach.
Direct peers
- Bell Geospace: Provides airborne gravity gradiometry and full tensor gravity surveys using Air-FTG™ technology; an end-user and integrator of airborne gravity sensors competing for the same oil & gas and minerals exploration programs.
- Scintrex Ltd. Sister company under LRS, manufacturer of relative survey gravity meters, magnetometers, and electrical instrumentation; overlaps directly with Micro-g LaCoste's relative gravity meter line and shares the same parent (LaCoste & Romberg – Scintrex, Inc.).
- Sander Geophysics: Operates one of the world's largest fleets of airborne geophysical survey aircraft, procuring and integrating airborne gravimeters (including Micro-g LaCoste's TAGS series) — a major buyer and integrator of competing gravity systems.
- GWR Instruments: Specializes in borehole gravity meters and superconducting gravimeters, directly competing with Micro-g LaCoste's borehole and high-precision monitoring products used in earth tide and reservoir monitoring applications.
- ZLS Corporation: Manufacturer of the Burris / Zero-Length Spring relative gravity meters, the closest direct competitor to Micro-g LaCoste's land and field gravity meter portfolio, serving the same mineral exploration and geophysical survey customers with spring-based sensors.
Others
- ION Geophysical: Provider of marine seismic and geophysical acquisition technology; adjacent to Micro-g LaCoste's marine gravity business as an integrator/buyer of marine sensors and as a participant in offshore exploration programs.
Broad incumbents
- Fugro: Global geotechnical and survey services provider with significant airborne, marine, and land geophysical capabilities, including gravity and gravity gradiometry surveys for offshore site investigation and resource exploration.
- Schlumberger (SLB): Largest oilfield services company with reservoir monitoring and gravity-based subsurface characterization offerings; competes for downstream reservoir monitoring and exploration programs that buy Micro-g LaCoste instruments.
- CGG (Compagnie Générale de Géophysique): Global geoscience major offering airborne, marine, and land gravity survey services and multi-physics data libraries; competes for the same oil & gas, mining, and environmental gravity survey contracts Micro-g LaCoste's customers service.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Micro-g LaCoste social profiles
Digital presenceMicro-g LaCoste financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Micro-g LaCoste leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Micro-g LaCoste funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Micro-g LaCoste M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Micro-g LaCoste
What does Micro-g LaCoste do?
Micro-g LaCoste manufactures and sells absolute and dynamic gravity meters (gravimeters) for land, airborne, and marine applications, including the FG5-X, A10, gPhoneX, CG-6, SEA III, and TAGS-7 systems. The company also provides gravity survey solutions and technical support for scientific research, oil and gas exploration, mining, and geophysical monitoring applications globally.
Is Micro-g LaCoste a public or private company?
Micro-g LaCoste is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Micro-g LaCoste founded?
Micro-g LaCoste was founded in 2006. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Micro-g LaCoste based?
Micro-g LaCoste is headquartered in Lafayette, United States, in the North America region.
How does Micro-g LaCoste make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Gravity Instrumentation Sales are the primary driver. The others are survey Services.
Who are Micro-g LaCoste's main competitors?
Exail (formerly iXblue / Muquans) is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are Bell Geospace, Scintrex Ltd., Sander Geophysics, GWR Instruments and ZLS Corporation. ION Geophysical is listed as an others. Broad incumbents are Fugro, Schlumberger (SLB) and CGG (Compagnie Générale de Géophysique).
Does Micro-g LaCoste have an API?
No public API is recorded for Micro-g LaCoste.
What industry is Micro-g LaCoste in?
Micro-g LaCoste's product category is Geophysical Instrumentation. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAGAFAF, Weighing & Force Measurement (Load cells, scales, torque, strain measurement). Its NAICS code is 33451 and its SIC code is 3823.