Tariffs Alarm the Amateur Astronomy Industry

The historic tariffs levied against China by the Trump administration are already affecting companies and consumers throughout the United States. They also threaten the small, passionate industry of amateur astronomy gear.

At the 35th Northeast Astronomy Forum (NEAF) earlier this month, tariff conversations permeated the world’s largest astronomy exposition. That’s because astronomy products are particularly vulnerable to tariffs, due a reliance on Chinese manufacturing for glass, electronics, and numerous other telescope parts. From boutique manufacturers to large telescope distributors, companies are weighing how to respond to Trump’s tariff policy — and how the astronomy industry might fare as a result.

Tariffs have become “all we talk about,” says Franck Marchis, Chief Science Officer at Unistellar. But “the problem we have is not really the tariffs, it’s the uncertainty that it’s bringing.”

On February 1st, the Trump administration announced 10% tariffs against China, raising them to 20% in an announcement on February 27th. In response to China’s retaliatory tariffs, the Trump administrated reported on April 2nd that its tariffs would rise again to 54%; on April7th, they rose to 104%; and on April 9th, the sum reached 145%. China’s total tariffs against the U.S. stand at 125%. The fluctuations have made it difficult for companies to determine if they should accelerate manufacturing, raise prices, cancel orders, or just wait it out.

“Things are changing on a daily, if not hourly basis, so there’s no way to come up with any kind of cohesive strategy,” says Jeff Simon, director of Sky-Watcher North America. “It’s like trying to work out a dance routine on quicksand.”

Some companies, like Sky-Watcher, have frozen further shipments from China while they wait for stability. Others, like Celestron, have also placed existing orders on hold. Ben Hauck, Celestron’s senior vice president of sales for North America, estimates that the company has held up $10 to $15 million worth of product (in terms of cost, not retail pricing) since the tariffs took effect.

“It’s really hard to come to a complete halt, because then when you start back up, it takes months to get inventory flowing again,” Hauck says. But so far, he feels that pausing orders is preferable to increasing prices. The tariffs have “really forced our hand,” he says.

To keep their retailers informed, Hauck has sent out two internal letters detailing Celestron’s plans. The most recent letter, sent on April 23rd, announced that some existing orders will be filled if the product was subject to tariff rates from 10 to 30% when initially shipped from China, with Celestron absorbing the cost increase.

One of the Trump administration’s stated tariff goals is to increase American manufacturing. However, even astronomy companies that do rely on American labor and factories are feeling the squeeze.

Karen Christen, business administrator for Astro-Physics, says the tariffs are still an issue for the small, high-end telescope and mount company based in Illinois. “Is the company more insulated? Yes,” she says. “Entirely insulated? By no means.” While Astro-Physics conducts nearly all of their manufacturing and assembly in the U.S., they import their electronics from Asia, since virtually none are made in America. The company is preparing to order another electronics shipment, which makes Christen worried that the tariffs will hurt the family-run business.

“We monitor the news every day, trying to get some idea of what’s going on,” says Vic Maris, President of Stellarvue, an American manufacturer of refractors based in California. Due to the tariffs, they’ve had to halt shipments of specialty optical glass made in China. While Stellarvue has six months to a year’s supply stocked up, the glass takes four months to manufacture, meaning that future orders will face waitlists even when (or if) tariffs resolve. And new product designs that contain such glass cannot move forward, Maris says. 

Meanwhile, customers are buying up telescopes faster than usual in an attempt to beat tariff pricing, accelerating how soon companies might need to re-order materials from abroad. Even outside of the U.S., “everybody is freaking out” and deciding whether to buy telescopes sooner rather than later, says Marchis, whose company is based in France.

At the end of the day, tariffs will most impact consumers looking to enter into amateur astronomy in the lower price range, around a couple hundred dollars. That’s not least because the U.S.-based manufacturers produce equipment at the higher end of the market, compared to Celestron and Sky-Watcher, says Christen.

While a wealthy amateur might stomach an increase from $5,000 to $7,000, for example, “a lot of working-class families can't afford to buy a telescope that goes up by 20% or 30% or 40%,” says Hauck, noting that the 145% tariffs could even push more than a doubling of costs. “The idea that some families and some kids won’t have the ability to experience the wonders of the nighttime sky…because of high prices [and] policies from this administration is deeply depressing.”