Feb 9, 2009

George H Diller Kennedy Space Center, Fla 321-867-2468 george h diller@nasa gov

Katherine Trinidad Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1100 katherine trinidad@nasa gov

CONTRACT RELEASE: C09-004

NASA AWARDS LAUNCH SERVICES FOR NUSTAR MISSION TO ORBITAL SCIENCES

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla -- NASA has selected Orbital Sciences Corp , of Dulles, Va , to launch the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, high energy X-ray telescope The spacecraft will fly in 2011 aboard a Pegasus XL rocket from the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site located at the Pacific Ocean's Kwajalein Atoll

The total cost of the NuSTAR launch services is approximately $36 million dollars This estimated cost includes the task ordered launch service for a Pegasus XL rocket, plus additional services under other contracts for payload processing, launch vehicle integration, and tracking, data and telemetry support

NuSTAR will be the first focusing high energy X-ray telescope in orbit The telescope will conduct a census for black holes, map radioactive material in young supernovae remnants, and study the origins of cosmic rays and the extreme physics around collapsed stars

The California Institute of Technology leads the mission, which NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages NASA's Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center is responsible for launch vehicle program management NuSTAR is part of the Explorers Program that NASA's Goddard Space Fight Center in Greenbelt, Md , manages

For more information about NASA and its missions, visit:

http://www nasa gov

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