Sierra Remote Observatories

What Sierra Remote Observatories does

Sierra Remote Observatories (SRO), founded in May 2007, operates a turnkey telescope hosting facility on a 16-acre site at 4,610 feet elevation in Auberry, California, on the western edge of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The company rents physical space and provides all supporting infrastructure to clients who place their own telescopes on-site and operate them remotely. Core infrastructure includes 14+ roll-off roof observatories (ranging from individual 10'x12' private enclosures to 30'x40' multi-telescope buildings), dedicated 1 Gbps symmetric fiber optic internet with Starlink satellite backup, on-site machine shop, full generator backup, secure VPN with redundancy, and an integrated telemetry layer covering weather (AAG CloudWatcher, RainWise, SkyAlert), seeing (Alcor Cyclope, SBIG), sky darkness (Unihedron SQM), NTP/PTP timing, and automated weather-triggered roof closure. Two full-time on-site technicians provide 24/7 support, with two hours of free technical support per tenant included; founder Keith Quattrocchi lives on-site.

SRO's commercial offering comprises four product tiers - private observatories, shared multi-telescope buildings, custom builds (including meter-class PlaneWave installations such as the CDK700 and CDK24), and a low-cost pierless tripod option - all bundled on a recurring monthly subscription starting at $600/month, with private and custom units priced materially higher based on aperture, mount, and infrastructure scope. A parallel rental channel is operated through iTelescope (which runs its 24" PlaneWave CDK on the site) and a direct long-term telescope rental program. The company's client base is diverse and includes NASA, JPL, Caltech, Harvard, Smithsonian, Fresno State, LIGO, and individual astrophotographers; the channel mix relies on direct sales (email inquiry), PlaneWave referrals, and organic word-of-mouth within the astronomy community, supported by biannual newsletters, active social media, NASA APOD features, and earned media. SRO is privately held, founder-owned, has no disclosed external funding, and is led by founder/CEO Keith Quattrocchi alongside a four-person management team (Operations, Systems Analysis, Marketing/Strategy, plus two on-site technicians).

Name

Sierra Remote Observatories

Legal name

Sierra Remote Observatories

Website

https://sierra-remote.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sierra Remote Observatories (SRO) hosts remotely operated telescopes on a 16-acre site in Auberry, California, providing infrastructure, fiber internet, weather/seeing telemetry, and 24/7 on-site technical support to universities, government agencies, space industry clients, and astrophotographers on recurring monthly contracts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Auberry

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Telescope Hosting Services: SRO provides telescope hosting in private, shared, and custom observatories. Services include pier, power (with generator backup), fiber optic internet (with Starlink backup), network services including secure VPN with redundancy, telemetry services, and 24/7 on-site support. Revenue is generated through monthly hosting fees starting as low as $600/month for telescope hosting.
2. Telescope Rental: SRO rents telescopes for long-term use and also facilitates telescope sharing arrangements between clients. Through the iTelescope partnership, clients can rent access to telescopes including a 24" PlaneWave CDK at SRO.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Sierra Remote Observatories provides remote telescope hosting at a purpose-built site in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, supplying pier, power with generator backup, 1 Gbps fiber optic internet (with Starlink backup), secure VPN, telemetry, and 24/7 on-site technical support to clients who place their own telescopes on-site. Hosting is offered across private roll-off roof observatories, multi-telescope shared buildings, custom builds for meter-class telescopes, and low-cost pierless options, with monthly subscriptions starting at $600 and long-term telescope rental facilitated through iTelescope.

Product overview

Sierra Remote Observatories operates as a telescope hosting infrastructure provider rather than a software product company. The core offering is telescope hosting services with four observatory types: Private Roll-Off Roof Observatories (individual 10'x12' facilities accommodating up to 20" equatorial or 28" Alt-Az telescopes), Multi-Telescope Shared Observatories (large 30'x40' buildings housing 12-16 telescopes or medium 20'x24' buildings with 8 telescopes), Custom Observatories (for meter-class telescopes with turnkey PlaneWave installations), and Low-Cost Pierless options for smaller refractors. All hosting packages include pier, power with generator backup, 1 Gbps fiber optic internet with Starlink backup, secure VPN, telemetry services, and 24/7 technical support. Additional offerings include telescope rental (via iTelescope partnership), technical support services, Client Lounge RV, and real-time telemetry including weather monitoring, seeing data, and roof control systems.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Telescope Hosting Services Recurring monthly hosting of client-owned telescopes at SRO's Sierra Nevada site, including private, shared, custom, and low-cost pierless observatory options. Includes pier, power, fiber internet, network services, telemetry, and on-site support; pricing starts at $600/month.
• Private Roll-Off Roof Observatories
• Multi-Telescope Shared Observatories
• Custom Observatories
• Low-Cost Pierless Observatory Lower-cost hosting option placing smaller refractor telescopes with fast focal ratios on tripods or piers bolted to observatory subfloor, leveraging shared observatory infrastructure.
• Telescope Rental via iTelescope Partnership Long-term rental of telescopes hosted at SRO, facilitated through the iTelescope rental network. Includes access to iTelescope's 24" PlaneWave CDK, the largest telescope they operate at SRO.
• Technical Support Services Full-time on-site technical support available 365 days/year, including 2 free hours of tech support per client per month, on-site machine shop services, telescope repair and assembly, and overnight parts delivery for more complex issues.
• Telemetry Services Real-time site telemetry including SkyAlert/Rainwise/AAG CloudWatcher weather monitoring, Alcor Cyclope and SBIG seeing monitors, all-sky cameras, Unihedron sky quality meter, and SkyRoof intelligent roof management — viewable by clients via the SRO website.
• Client Lounge RV Winterized "Spare Time Avenger" RV with stocked kitchen, sitting area, TV, full bathroom, and queen-bed bedroom sleeping up to 5, available to SRO clients at no charge for on-site visits.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1 arcsecond average summer seeing and 1.2 arcsecond average winter seeing, with sub-arcsecond peak seeing
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and supporting.

• PlaneWave InstrumentscoreTechnology or IntegrationSRO has installed numerous PlaneWave Instruments telescopes over the past decade and has a close association allowing for turnkey installations of telescopes up to a meter in size. PlaneWave actively recommends SRO to their clients. Notable PlaneWave clients at SRO include a CDK700 and CDK24 on L-350 and Paramount Taurus mounts respectively.
• iTelescopecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributoriTelescope operates their largest telescope, a 24" PlaneWave CDK on an L350 mount, at SRO. SRO recommends iTelescope for clients wanting to rent telescope time without committing to ownership. iTelescope pioneered internet-based telescope rentals and has over 1,000 active members.
• SkyRoof (Interactive Astronomy)coreTechnology or IntegrationSRO uses SkyRoof for automated roll-off roof control based on weather conditions. SRO serves as a reference installation for SkyRoof and SkyAlert systems, which are described as critical to the efficient running of the observatory.
• Alcor SystemcoreTechnology or IntegrationSRO uses the Alcor System Cyclope Seeing Monitor for high-quality, reliable seeing measurements. Also uses the EUDA All Sky Camera from Alcor System with an 8MP cooled chip. Alcor cameras are used at Kitt Peak and other professional observatories.
• Fresno State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFresno State University has a telescope at SRO with multiple scientific articles published from observations. SRO co-founded Dr. Mel Helm Jr. Memorial Educational Fund for Science and Medicine at Fresno State. Fresno State and SRO maintain an ongoing educational collaboration.
• University of Stuttgart / SOFIAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Astronomical Telescope of the University of Stuttgart (ATUS) is hosted at SRO for research and testing equipment to be used on SOFIA (Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy), a modified high altitude 747 carrying a 2.7 meter infrared telescope. Funded by DLR Space Administration.
• StarlinksupportingTechnology or IntegrationStarlink provides satellite internet backup at SRO in the unlikely event of fiber optic internet failure. Ensures clients maintain connectivity for their telescopes regardless of terrestrial internet outages.
• LIGOminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSRO (University Observatory) was accepted into the LIGO program in July 2014. LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory) uses SRO for astronomical observations related to their gravitational wave research program.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Slooh: Subscription-based remote telescope service operating a global network of automated telescopes. Competes in the same 'telescope-as-a-service' market with comparable end-user use cases (remote imaging/observation on demand).
• Las Cumbres Observatory: Non-profit global network of fully robotic telescopes providing remote observing capability to researchers worldwide across multiple sites. Similar end-user use cases (data acquisition over the internet) and a comparable client base of academic researchers.
• New Mexico Skies: One of the original dedicated telescope hosting facilities in southern New Mexico, hosting professional and amateur instruments under dark, dry skies. Closely mirrors SRO's hosting business model at an alternative dark-sky geography.
• Starfront Observatories: Texas-based remote telescope hosting facility offering telescope hosting services to remote operators. Direct competitor in the dedicated remote observatory hosting space with comparable private/shared observatory options.
• Telescope Live: Global network of robotic telescopes (formerly GRAS) offering paid remote imaging sessions to amateur and professional astrophotographers. Direct competitor in remote imaging-as-a-service with overlapping client base.
• iTelescope: Pioneer in internet-based remote telescope rentals; operates its flagship 24" PlaneWave CDK at SRO. Despite the partnership, iTelescope operates multiple global sites and competes in the same subscription-based remote astronomy hosting market SRO serves.
• Deep Sky West: New Mexico-based remote telescope hosting facility hosting third-party instruments under dark skies. Closely parallels SRO's hosting model at a different geography, serving similar astrophotography and research clients.

Broad incumbents

• PlaneWave Instruments: Leading US manufacturer of premium research-grade telescopes (CDK series, including the CDK700 and CDK24 at SRO). Strategic partner that actively refers new telescope buyers to SRO for installation and hosting — broader ecosystem incumbent.
• Software Bisque: Manufacturer of the Paramount mount family widely used at SRO and developer of TheSkyX control software. Plays a complementary ecosystem role — their hardware and software stack underpins many hosted telescopes at SRO.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SRO_RemoteObs
• Facebookfacebook.com/SierraRemoteObservatories
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sierra-remote-observatories
• Instagraminstagram.com/sierra_remote_observatories

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Sierra Remote Observatories