NuSTAR is a SMEX class high energy x-ray observatory.
It was shut down just at critical design review in spring 2006 by the then NASA associate administrator for Science, due to budget cuts in NASA science.
It has now been revived by the current associate administrator for Science, Alan Stern, and comes back to post-review phase B.
Launch expected in 2011.
The good news is that apparently the funding will NOT come out of the recently announced SMEX request for proposal rounds, that will go ahead with six proposals to be selected for concept study, to be down selected to three missions to launch.
No, I don't know where they got the money from either.
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It is called NuStar, for "Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array," and NASA will be launching this giant thing that looks like a dumpster on March 14th.
NuStar is a small explorer class hard x-ray focusing telescope.
It is now scheduled for launch in august 2011.
This year I noted an anomaly in one of my class assignments...
Senior Review is out:
summary - Swift #1, then NuStar.
K2 gets partial funding. Spitzer is terminated.
Panel recommends not cutting off the bottom but balancing fields.
This is really good news.
It's a clever idea -- need a longer focal length than Chandra? Just attach an erector set!
Important science, and about time NASA commits *some* money to the next 20 yrs of X-ray astrophysics.
Ooh, yeah; excellent news! I could write several very fine proposals for that instrument immediately. :-)