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Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer - Wikipedia

Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer

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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.1 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 2013.2

NICER-SEXTANT uses the same instrument to test X-ray timing for positioning and navigation,3 and MXS is a test of X-ray timing communication.4 In January 2018, X-ray navigation was demonstrated using NICER on ISS.5

In May 2023, NICER’s thermal shields developed a leak that allowed stray light to enter the telescope. A repair kit containing specialized patches was delivered to the station by the Cygnus NG-21 resupply mission in August 2024,6 and were applied by Nick Hague in a January 16, 2025 spacewalk.7

The NICER team suspended science observations on June 17, 2025 due to an issue with the motor used to point the telescope.8

Printed 2026-06-28.

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Footnotes

  1. Gendreau, Keith C.; Arzoumanian, Zaven; Okajima, Takashi (September 2012). “The Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER): An Explorer mission of opportunity for soft x-ray timing spectroscopy” (PDF). In Takahashi, Tadayuki; Murray, Stephen S.; Den Herder, Jan-Willem A. (eds.). Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2012: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray. Proceedings of the SPIE. Vol. 8443. p. 844313. Bibcode:2012SPIE.8443E..13G. doi:10.1117/12.926396. S2CID 119892783. ↩

  2. Harrington, J. D. (5 April 2013). “NASA Selects Explorer Investigations for Formulation” (Press release). NASA. Retrieved 23 April 2013. ↩

  3. Garner, Rob (17 July 2017). “NASA Neutron Star Mission Begins Science Operations”. NASA. Retrieved 26 January 2018. ↩

  4. Keesey, Lori (4 November 2016). “NASA’s NavCube Could Support an X-ray Communications Demonstration in Space — A NASA First”. NASA. Retrieved 5 November 2016. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain. ↩

  5. “ISS Utilization: NICER/SEXTANT”. eoPortal. European Space Agency. Archived from the original on 8 February 2021. Retrieved 26 January 2018. ↩

  6. Kazmierczak, Jeanette (30 July 2024). “Repair Kit for NASA’s NICER Mission Heading to Space Station”. NASA. Retrieved 30 July 2024. ↩

  7. “Astronauts repair black hole observatory, inspect cosmic ray detector on ISS spacewalk”. Space.com. 16 January 2025. ↩

  8. “NICER Status Updates”. NASA. 24 June 2025. Retrieved 26 June 2025. ↩

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