Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer

NICER
	NICER telescope mounted on the Integrated Truss Structure of the International Space Station
Mission type	Neutron star astrophysics
Operator	NASA / GSFC / MIT
Website	https://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/nicer/
Mission duration	18 months (planned); 6 years, 11 months and 26 days (in progress)
Spacecraft properties
Launch mass	372 kg (820 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date	3 June 2017, 21:07:38 UTC
Rocket	Falcon 9 Full Thrust, B1035.1
Launch site	Kennedy Space Center, LC-39A
Contractor	SpaceX
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric orbit
Regime	Low Earth orbit
Perigee altitude	402 km (250 mi)
Apogee altitude	407 km (253 mi)
Inclination	51.64°
Period	92.66 minutes
Instruments
	X-ray Timing Instrument (XTI)
	; NICER * SEXTANT mission patch Explorer program ← ASTRO-H (NeXT) SES-14 (GOLD) →

The Neutron Star Interior Composition ExploreR (NICER) is a NASA telescope on the International Space Station, designed and dedicated to the study of the extraordinary gravitational, electromagnetic, and nuclear physics environments embodied by neutron stars, exploring the exotic states of matter where density and pressure are higher than in atomic nuclei. As part of NASA's Explorer program, NICER enabled rotation-resolved spectroscopy of the thermal and non-thermal emissions of neutron stars in the soft X-ray (0.2–12 keV) band with unprecedented sensitivity, probing interior structure, the origins of dynamic phenomena, and the mechanisms that underlie the most powerful cosmic particle accelerators known.^[3] NICER achieved these goals by deploying, following the launch, and activation of X-ray timing and spectroscopy instruments. NICER was selected by NASA to proceed to formulation phase in April 2013.^[4]

NICER-SEXTANT uses the same instrument to test X-ray timing for positioning and navigation,^[5] and MXS is a test of X-ray timing communication.^[6] In January 2018, X-ray navigation was demonstrated using NICER on ISS.^[7]

^ "SpaceX CRS-11 Mission Overview" (PDF). NASA. Retrieved 3 June 2017. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
^ Clark, Stephen (3 June 2017). "Reused Dragon cargo capsule launched on journey to space station". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 3 June 2017.
^ Gendreau, Keith C.; Arzoumanian, Zaven; Okajima, Takashi (September 2012). Takahashi, Tadayuki; Murray, Stephen S.; Den Herder, Jan-Willem A. (eds.). "The Neutron star Interior Composition ExploreR (NICER): an Explorer mission of opportunity for soft X-ray timing spectroscopy" (PDF). Proceedings of the SPIE: Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2012, Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray. Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2012: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray. 8443: 844313. Bibcode:2012SPIE.8443E..13G. doi:10.1117/12.926396. S2CID 119892783.
^ Harrington, J. D. (5 April 2013). "NASA Selects Explorer Investigations for Formulation" (Press release). NASA. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
^ Garner, Rob (17 July 2017). "NASA Neutron Star Mission Begins Science Operations". NASA. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
^ Cite error: The named reference nasa20161104 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ "ISS Utilization: NICER/SEXTANT". eoPortal. European Space Agency. Archived from the original on 8 February 2021. Retrieved 26 January 2018.

[crs11.overview-1] "SpaceX CRS-11 Mission Overview" (PDF). NASA. Retrieved 3 June 2017. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

[sfnow20170603-2] Clark, Stephen (3 June 2017). "Reused Dragon cargo capsule launched on journey to space station". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 3 June 2017.

[nicerPdf1-3] Gendreau, Keith C.; Arzoumanian, Zaven; Okajima, Takashi (September 2012). Takahashi, Tadayuki; Murray, Stephen S.; Den Herder, Jan-Willem A. (eds.). "The Neutron star Interior Composition ExploreR (NICER): an Explorer mission of opportunity for soft X-ray timing spectroscopy" (PDF). Proceedings of the SPIE: Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2012, Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray. Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2012: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray. 8443: 844313. Bibcode:2012SPIE.8443E..13G. doi:10.1117/12.926396. S2CID 119892783.

[4] Harrington, J. D. (5 April 2013). "NASA Selects Explorer Investigations for Formulation" (Press release). NASA. Retrieved 23 April 2013.

[5] Garner, Rob (17 July 2017). "NASA Neutron Star Mission Begins Science Operations". NASA. Retrieved 26 January 2018.

[nasa20161104-6] Cite error: The named reference nasa20161104 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[eop-iss-u-n-s-7] "ISS Utilization: NICER/SEXTANT". eoPortal. European Space Agency. Archived from the original on 8 February 2021. Retrieved 26 January 2018.

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