Gallery: NuSTAR, NASA's Black Hole Hunting Space Telescope

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NuSTAR Technician Inside Nose Cone

NASA

A spacecraft technician is performing closeout work inside the fairing that will be installed around NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) spacecraft in a processing facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Image released March 2, 2012.

NuSTAR, Meet Rocket

NASA/Randy Beaudoin, VAFB

At Vandenberg Air Force Base's processing facility in California, the separation ring on the aft end of NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, at right, inches its way toward the third stage of an Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL rocket under the watchful eye of a member of the Orbital Sciences technical team. Image released Feb. 23, 2012.

NuSTAR Satellite Fairing Installation

U.S. Air Force/Doug Gruben

Technicians roll the Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL rocket with NASA's NuSTAR spacecraft to the waiting L-1011 carrier aircraft known as "Stargazer."

NuSTAR Ready for Rocket

NASA/Randy Beaudoin, VAFB

Technicians move the tilt-rotation fixture holding NASA's NuSTAR spacecraft inside Orbital Sciences' processing facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. The spacecraft will be rotated to horizontal for joining with the Pegasus XL rocket. Image taken February 16, 2012.

Pegasus Fairing Installation

NASA/Randy Beaudoin, VAFB

An Orbital Sciences technician completes final checks of NASA's NuSTAR spacecraft inside Orbital's processing facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California before the Pegasus payload fairing is secured around it. Photo taken March 2, 2012.

Pegasus Rolls Out

NASA/Randy Beaudoin, VAFB

Technicians roll the Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL rocket with NASA's NuSTAR spacecraft to the waiting L-1011 carrier aircraft known as "Stargazer." Photo taken June 2, 2012.

Pegasus Attached to L-1011

NASA/Randy Beaudoin, VAFB

The Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL rocket with NASA's NuSTAR spacecraft is attached to the L-1011 carrier aircraft known as "Stargazer." Photo taken June 2, 2012.

NuSTAR Spacecraft Jointed to Rocket

NASA/Randy Beaudoin

In this image from February 2012, technicians review their checklists after joining NASA's NuSTAR spacecraft with the Orbital Sciences Pegasus XL rocket inside an environmental enclosure at Vandenberg Air Force Base's processing facility in California.

Pegasus Rocket Carrying the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array

U.S. Air Force photo/Michael Peterson

An Orbital Sciences Corporation owned L-1011 "Stargazer? takes-off with a Pegasus rocket carrying the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array satellite here Tuesday, June 5, 2012. The NuSTAR satellite will image high-energy X-rays, giving scientists a new perspective on black holes, supernovae and galactic nuclei.

Pegasus Rocket Carrying the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array

U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Andrew Satran

An Orbital Sciences Corporation owned L-1011 "Stargazer? takes-off with a Pegasus rocket carrying the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array satellite here Tuesday, June 5, 2012. The NuSTAR satellite will image high-energy X-rays, giving scientists a new perspective on black holes, supernovae and galactic nuclei.

Space.com Staff
Space.com Staff
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