Posted: Fri, Jan 28, 2005, 5:50 AM ET (1050 GMT)
NASA announced Wednesday that it has chosen a mission to study the boundary of interstellar space as the next mission in its Small Explorer (SMEX) program. The Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) mission, led by the Southwest Research Institute, is scheduled for launch in 2008 on a Pegasus vehicle. From its location in an elliptical Earth orbit, IBEX will attempt to detect particles generated by the shock front between the solar wind and the interstellar medium. The $134-million probe will also measure cosmic radiation. NASA also said that it will continue studying another proposed SMEX mission, the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR), a spacecraft designed to detect black holes in the "local" universe with a far greater sensitivity than other instruments. NASA will make a decision early next year regarding whether to proceed with NuSTAR.

Related Links:

•  NASA press release
•  SwRI press release