Northwestern astrophysicists are finalists for a spot on revolutionary NASA mission

Northwestern researchers Vicky Kalogera, Wen-Fai Fong, and Charlie Kilpatrick were recently chosen as finalists to be part of a NASA-led team that will launch a research facility into space in 2028.

The winning team will pilot a groundbreaking new mission named STAR-X and will receive $300 million in funding from NASA. The Northwestern scientists are primarily interested in using the device to study neutron-star collisions.

“It was a thrill to receive the news that NASA selected STAR-X as one of just two missions to reach this stage of development,” said Kalogera, a senior consultant on the project. “The team has optimized STAR-X for discovery of X-ray and ultraviolet signals that are bright only for a short time but carry a lot of information about the exotic objects that produce them.”

“Currently, we have X-ray facilities with small fields of view that can rapidly respond to transient events, Fong said. “STAR-X has the perfect combination of fast reaction time, wide field-of-view and high resolution. This is truly revolutionary in space-based astronomy, and STAR-X will open an entirely new way for us to interact with the high-energy universe.”

Kalogera is the Daniel I. Linzer Distinguished Professor of Physics and Astronomy in Northwestern’s Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences and director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics (CIERA). Fong is an assistant professor of physics and astronomy in Weinberg and a member of CIERA. Kilpatrick is a CIERA postdoctoral fellow.

Learn more in Northwestern Now’s article, “Team with Northwestern astrophysicists competes for $300 million.”