Whether you are a budding astronomer or an expert in your field, if you have a keen interest in space then you probably have owned at least one telescope. Unfortunately, with many companies opting to manufacture overseas, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find American-made products. In this article, I’ll be looking for telescopes made in the USA.
Telescopes Made in The USA – What’s Out There? (The Short Answer)
After plenty of research, I found 2 companies that offer American made telescopes. They are Stellarvue and Televue.
American Made Telescopes (What I Found)
Now that we know which companies manufacture telescopes in the USA, let’s look at each one in more detail.
Stellarvue
Stellarvue was founded in 1998. The company is based in Auburn, California and it is responsible for manufacturing high-quality telescopes and telescope accessories. It is a well-known company both inside the USA and overseas too.
Stellarvue operates a manufacturing facility in Auburn, California. It is at this location that all of Stellarvue’s telescopes are assembled. It does look like some of its components come from overseas. But as for the assembly and fine-tuning, that’s all carried out at its US-based facility.
This isn’t really a company for amateur astronomers. Stellarvue produces high-quality telescopes for professionals. Its telescopes are highly sought after among those working in the field of outer space.
If you are wanting to take a look at some of Stellarvue’s telescopes, then I’ve got you covered. Here are a few of its lines for you to check out.
TeleVue
TeleVue dates back to 1977 when the company was founded by Nagler. It’s an award-winning company that produces quality telescopes that have been used by multiple major space agencies all over the world.
The company operates a facility in Chester, New York. It is at this location that it assembles and tests all of its telescopes. While it does source components from overseas, the actual assembly takes place within the US.
Here’s a link to the company’s telescope page for those wanting to take a closer look. I’d recommend reaching out to the company before purchasing to find out where its various components come from. Here’s a link to TeleVue’s contact information.
Honorable Mention
I came across one company that does manufacture some of its telescopes in the USA. However, it also manufactures some of its telescopes abroad making it difficult to tell which of its telescopes are American-made. Here’s what I found.
Mead
Meade has been manufacturing quality telescopes since 1972. It is one of the leading telescope producers on the American market and it shows no sign of slowing down any time soon.
While the company does manufacture some of its telescopes in the USA, it also has a facility in Tijuana, Mexico. It also manufactures some of its telescopes in Taiwan. Because of this, it wasn’t possible to find out which of its telescope lines are American-made.
If you are considering purchasing a telescope from Meade then I’d recommend reaching out and asking them directly which of its telescopes are American-made. Here’s a link to its product page, and here’s a link to the company’s contact details.
A Question For The Readers
I wasn’t able to find as many companies that produce telescopes in the USA as I thought. So, if there are any readers out there who know of any companies that belong on this list then get in touch via the comment section below. Your comments really help our site to grow.
Questar telescopes are made entirely in the U.S. Their 90 mm Mak has been in production longer than any other telescope on earth.
Thanks for stopping by, Gordon. I very much appreciate the tip. I’ll look into it and will add Questar to the article if it checks out.