Suzaku (satellite)

ASTRO -E is the name of two Japanese space telescopes for X-ray astronomy. The second satellite ASTRO -E2 received after the start of the name of Suzaku after a bird of Asian mythology.

ASTRO -E, was developed as the fifth Japanese X-ray satellite of the Japanese Institute for Space Research, ISAS, since 2003 part of the JAXA jointly with NASA. ASTRO -E covers with three instruments the energy range from 0.2 to 600 keV from. Compared to other X-ray satellites it is characterized by its delicate and high-resolution X-ray spectrometer (german x -ray spectrometer, XRS ), which measures the energy of the incoming X-ray photons on their heat release in a cooled detector very precisely.

The ASTRO -E mission original failed on 10 February 2000 at 01:30 UTC clock by a malfunction of the MV - 4 rocket, could not reach the planned orbit by the satellite.

In 2001 started the construction of the replacement satellite ASTRO -E2, whose launch was on 10 July 2005 at 3:30 UTC clock with an MV -6 rocket from Uchinoura Space Center. The on-board systems and the instruments were first successfully put into operation, however, was found on 8 August 2005 that all of the liquid helium, which should be used to cool the detector of the X-ray spectrometer to minus 273.09 ° C, has evaporated. This can no longer be carried out planned observations with this instrument. The other two instruments of the satellite - XIS (X -ray Imaging Spectrometer ) and HXD (Hard X -ray Detector) - can still be used.

More Japanese X-ray astronomy satellites

Space observatory Vermilion Bird Institute of Space and Astronautical Science Mu (rocket family) ASTRO-H
84494
de