Orbital NuSTAR - Manual

Astrophysics
NuSTAR has more than 500
times the sensitivity of previous
instruments to detect black holes.
NuSTAR is the first focusing hard
X-ray telescope in space.
Mission:
Expanding our understanding of the
origins and destinies of stars and
galaxies
Customer:
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
FACTS AT A GLANCE
NuSTAR in Orbital's Dulles, Virginia satellite
manufacturing facility
NuSTAR
High-Energy X-Ray Observatory Detecting Black Holes
LEO
Mission Description
Orbital designed, manufactured, integrated and tested the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array
(NuSTAR) scientific satellite under a contract from the California Institute of Technology and the Jet
Propulsion Laboratory. The NuSTAR observatory uses high-energy X-rays to detect black holes and
other energetic phenomena in the universe.
The NuSTAR program is being led by Principal Investigator Dr. Fiona Harrison of Caltech. Its mission is
to help scientists answer fundamental questions about the universe, such as:
• How black holes are distributed throughout the cosmos
• How the elements of the universe were created
• What powers the most extreme active galaxies
With answers to these and other questions, NuSTAR will expand our understanding of the origins and
destinies of stars and galaxies.
Spacecraft
The NuSTAR spacecraft is based on Orbital’s proven LEOStar ™ -2 design. NuSTAR is the seventh
satellite to be based on this platform, taking advantage of a growing heritage of excellent in-orbit
performance from previous missions. Other LEOStar-based satellites that Orbital has designed and built
for previous NASA scientific missions include SORCE, GALEX, and AIM.