In 1988 the observatory became a National Facility operated by the Foundation for Research Development (FRD); in 1999 the FRD was restructured as the National Research Foundation (NRF).
Ka ngwaga 1988 sa neelwa mmuso, ka fa taolong ya FRD (Foundation for Research Development), e e rileng ka ngwaga wa 1999 ya fetolelwa go NRF (National Research Foundation).