ASTRON was founded in 1949, as the Foundation for Radio radiation from the Sun and Milky Way (SRZM). Its original charge was to develop and operate radio telescopes, the first being systems using surplus wartime radar dishes. The organisation has grown from twenty employees in the early 1960's to about 180 staff members today.

In 1957, Herman Kleibrink documented the events leading up to the building of the Dwingeloo telescope in his film "De Bouw van een Radiotelescoop". A more in depth review of that era was recently published by Van Woerden & Strom.