fuse

Launch team for FUSE
The Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) is a space-based telescope operated by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. FUSE was launched on a Delta II rocket on June 24, 1999, as a part of NASA's Origins program. FUSE detected light in the far ultraviolet portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, between 90.5-119.5 nanometres, which is mostly unobservable by other telescopes. Its primary mission was to characterize universal deuterium in an effort to learn about the stellar processing times of deuterium left over from the Big Bang. FUSE resides in a low Earth orbit, approximately 760 km (410 nmi) in altitude, with an inclination of 25 degrees and just less than a 100 minute orbital period. Its Explorer designation is Explorer 77.

FUSE is a NASA-supported astronomy mission that was launched on June 24, 1999,
to explore the Universe using the technique of high-resolution spectroscopy in the
far-ultraviolet spectral region. The Johns Hopkins University has the lead role in
developing and now operating the mission, in collaboration with The University of
Colorado at Boulder, The University of California at Berkeley, international partners
the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and the French Space Agency (CNES), and
corporate partners.