// ORBITAL LOGISTICS AND PROPULSION TERM
Pulsar
A pulsar is a rapidly spinning neutron star that emits beams of radiation, which appear to "pulse" as they sweep past Earth.
TECHNICAL DEFINITION
A pulsar is a highly magnetized, rapidly rotating neutron star that emits beams of electromagnetic radiation from its magnetic poles, observed as periodic pulses when the beam sweeps across the Earth, serving as cosmic clocks for astronomers.
BACKGROUND
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government responsible for the United States' civil space program and for research in aeronautics and space. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., NASA operates ten field centers across the U.S. and is organized into three mission directorates: Human Spaceflight, Research and Technology, and Science. Established in 1958 amid the Space Race, NASA succeeded the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) to give the U.S. space program a distinct civilian orientation focused on peaceful applications. Since then, it has led most American spaceflight programs, including Project Mercury, Project Gemini, the Apollo program, Skylab, the Space Shuttle, the International Space Station (ISS) and the ongoing multi-national Artemis program.
READ MORE ON WIKIPEDIASYNONYMS & ALIASES
- Pulsating radio source
- rotating neutron star
- lighthouse star
USAGE NOTE
Pulsars are used by astronomers as precise cosmic clocks to study gravitational waves and test theories of gravity.
DEVELOPERS
Organizations developing technology related to Pulsar.
NASA's Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) mission on the ISS hosts the Station Explorer for X-ray Timing and Navigation Technology (SEXTANT) experiment, which successfully demonstrated autonomous spacecraft navigation using millisecond pulsars.
CAST, a primary developer for the China National Space Administration (CNSA), launched the XPNAV-1 satellite in 2016 to test and validate the technology for autonomous spacecraft navigation using X-ray pulsar signals.
ESA researches and funds advanced concepts for deep space navigation, including studies on X-ray Pulsar-Based Navigation (XNAV) for future missions to the outer solar system and beyond, aiming for greater spacecraft autonomy.
The NRL develops advanced timing and navigation technologies for defense and scientific applications. It was a key partner in developing the instruments and systems for NASA's NICER/SEXTANT pulsar navigation demonstration.
JPL develops and operates deep space missions for NASA, and its research in navigation and radio science is critical for advancing technologies like pulsar timing arrays and pulsar-based navigation for future interplanetary exploration.
The NRAO operates radio telescopes used for projects like the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves (NANOGrav), which creates highly precise timing models of pulsars. This foundational data is essential for any application of pulsars in navigation or timekeeping.
BAE Systems develops navigation and sensor technologies for defense and aerospace, including research into GPS-denied navigation. Their work on advanced timing and signal processing is relevant to developing receivers for pulsar-based navigation systems.