The Super - High Energy Replicated Optics Hard X-ray Telescope (SuperHERO)

This proposal is for Super - High Energy Replicated Optics (SuperHERO), a high-angular-resolution, balloon-borne, hard-X-ray observatory. A follow-on version of NASA Marshall Space Flight Center's (MSFC's) successful HERO and HEROES missions, SuperHERO will implement recent advancements in MSFC's replicated nickel shell optics technology to achieve better than 10 arcsecond angular resolution performance in the hard X-ray (>20 keV) bandpass. This represents nearly an order of magnitude improvement in angular resolution over current hard X-ray astrophysics observatories. SuperHERO consists of seven identical and co-aligned 12-meter-focal-length telescopes with an integrated effective area of 40 cm2 at 35 keV. Flying as a proof-of-concept mission in the fall of 2028 from Fort Sumner, New Mexico, this effective area will allow SuperHERO to make detailed imaging observations of the Crab pulsar wind nebula. SuperHERO will also demonstrate its unprecedented high angular resolution with the observation of the high-flux, X-ray point sources Cygnus X-1. SuperHERO leverages experience gained on previous missions that employed MSFC full-shell replicated optics, such as the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) and the Spectrum Röntgen Gamma observatory - X-ray Concentrator SRG (ART-XC). More recently, MSFC has demonstrated 9 arcseconds in X-ray beamline testing of X-ray optics developed for the Focusing Optics X-ray Solar Imager (FOXSI-4) (with 5-7 arcseconds predicted performance with gravity removed). Each of SuperHERO's seven focal planes will consist of Cadmium Telluride Double-sided Strip Detectors (CdTe-DSD) nearly identical to the Hard X-ray Imager (HXI) that flew on the Hitomi space telescope. To accommodate the 12-meter-focal-length, an open-truss carbon-composite optical bench will be used, similar to the one developed for the XL-Calibur balloon mission. SuperHERO will meet its pointing accuracy requirement by using the Wallops Arc-Second Pointer (WASP) system. The first flight of SuperHERO will lay the groundwork for a future long duration balloon flight mission. With increased effective area, additional observation time, and its high angular resolution, SuperHERO will target X-ray binaries within the galactic center which remain elusive in the hard X-ray band. As a long duration balloon flight SuperHERO will also observe diffuse non-thermal emission in supernova remnants, AGN Jets, and galaxy clusters to locate and characterize the sites cosmic particle acceleration. Ultimately, technology demonstrated on SuperHERO will also provide a path forward to a high-angular resolution, space-based hard X-ray observatory.

This is a mature technology (TRL 7+) — the realistic path in is usually NASA's Technology Transfer Program: licensing an existing NASA patent, or a Space Act Agreement to use NASA facilities/expertise directly. NASA also runs a startup licensing program with no upfront fee for companies formed to commercialize a specific NASA technology.

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