The Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) will be NASA's 11th Small Explorer satellite mission, the first space-based direct-imaging X-raytelescope at energies beyond those of the Chandra X-ray Observatory and XMM-Newton. The mission is expected to be launched in 2011.
Columbia University's contribution centers on developing the curved glass used in the array, which is formed using specific heat cycles in specialized slumping ovens. Most of this research takes place at Columbia's Nevis Laboratories research facility in Irvington, NY. The curved glass is coated with multilayer reflective materials at DNSC. Caltech develops the imaging hard X-ray detectors on the focal plane. JPL is responsible for project management.
History
NuSTAR's predecessor was the High Energy Focusing Telescope (HEFT), a balloon-borne version of NuSTAR carrying telescopes and detectors of the same technologies. In February 2003, NASA issued an Explorer Program Announcement of Opportunity. In response, NuSTAR was submitted to NASA in May, as one of 36 mission proposals vying to be the tenth and eleventh Small Explorer missions 1. In November, NASA selected NuSTAR and four other proposals for a five-month implementation feasibility study, each costing $450,000. In January 2005, NASA decided to extend this study with NuSTAR and postpone the decision on proceeding to flight development until early 2006 2. The program was cancelled in February 2006 as NASA presented its 2007 budget. On September 21, 2007 it was announced that the program had been restarted, with an expected launch in 2011 345 (the original launch date was February 2009).
