Astrophysics Explorers
Astrophysics small PI-led missions selected under the Explorer program managed by the Heliophysics Division. Explorers are opportunities for innovative science and fill the scientific gaps between the larger missions. For example, the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) will conduct a census of black holes for the Physics of the Cosmos program and study the birth of elements for the Cosmic Origins program. Similarly, the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) will survey the entire sky in the near infrared, and find among these data the brightest, most distant infrared galaxies and the faintest stars in the solar neighborhood.
Launch Date | A-Z | Phase |
---|---|---|
April 28, 2003 | Operating | |
July 10, 2005 | Operating | |
2011 | Under Study | |
December 30, 1995 | Operating | |
November 20, 2004 | Operating | |
November 02, 2009 | Development | |
June 30, 2001 | Operating | |
June 24, 1999 | Past |