Suzaku (formerly ASTRO-EII) was an X-ray astronomy satellite developed jointly by the Institute of Space and Aeronautical Science at JAXA and NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center to probe high-energy X-ray sources, such as supernova explosions, black holes and galactic clusters. It was launched on 10 July 2005 aboard the M-V launch vehicle on the M-V-6 mission. After its successful launch, the satellite was renamed Suzaku after the mythical Vermilion bird of the South.[4]
 A picture of a fully integrated Astro-E2 before vibration tests at ISAS/JAXA. | |
| Names | ASTRO-EII |
|---|---|
| Mission type | Astronomy |
| Operator | JAXA / NASA |
| COSPAR ID | 2005-025A |
| SATCAT no. | 28773 |
| Website | www |
| Mission duration | 2 years (planned) 10 years 1 month 23 days (achieved) |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | ASTRO |
| Bus | ASTRO-E |
| Manufacturer | Toshiba[1] |
| Launch mass | 1,706 kg (3,761 lb) [2] |
| Dimensions | 2 metres x 5 metres |
| Power | 500 watts |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 10 July 2005, 03:30:00 UTC |
| Rocket | M-V # 6 |
| Launch site | Uchinoura Space Center, Uchinoura, Kagoshima |
| End of mission | |
| Deactivated | 2 September 2015 |
| Decay date | No earlier than 2020 [3] |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit |
| Regime | Low Earth orbit |
| Perigee altitude | 550 km (340 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 550 km (340 mi) |
| Inclination | 31° |
| Period | 96 minutes |
| Instruments | |
| X-ray Spectrometer-2 (XRS-2) X-ray Imaging Spectrometer (XIS) Hard X-ray Detector (HXD) | |
 The M-V launch vehicle carrying ASTRO-E veering off course after launch on 10 February 2000. | |
| Mission type | Astronomy |
|---|---|
| Operator | Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS) / NASA |
| COSPAR ID | 2005-025A |
| SATCAT no. | 28773 |
| Mission duration | Failed to orbit |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | ASTRO |
| Bus | ASTRO-E |
| Manufacturer | Toshiba |
| Launch mass | 1600 kg |
| Dimensions | 2 metres x 5 metres |
| Power | 500 watts |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 10 February 2000, 01:30:00 UTC |
| Rocket | M-V # 4 |
| Launch site | Kagoshima Space Center |
| End of mission | |
| Decay date | Failed to orbit |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit (planned) |
| Regime | Low Earth orbit |
| Perigee altitude | 550 km (340 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 550 km (340 mi) |
| Inclination | 31.0° |
| Period | 96.0 minutes |
| Instruments | |
| X-ray Spectrometer (XRS) X-ray Imaging Spectrometer (XIS) Hard X-ray Detector (HXD) X-ray Telescope (XRT) | |
Just weeks after launch, on 29 July 2005, the first of a series of cooling system malfunctions occurred. These ultimately caused the entire reservoir of liquid helium to boil off into space by 8 August 2005. This effectively shut down the X-ray Spectrometer-2 (XRS-2), which was the spacecraft's primary instrument. The two other instruments, the X-ray Imaging Spectrometer (XIS) and the Hard X-ray Detector (HXD), were unaffected by the malfunction. As a result, another XRS was integrated into the Hitomi X-ray satellite, launched in 2016, which also was lost weeks after launch. A Hitomi successor, XRISM, launched on 7 September 2023, with an X-ray Spectrometer (Resolve) onboard as the primary instrument.
On 26 August 2015, JAXA announced that communications with Suzaku had been intermittent since 1 June 2015 and that the resumption of scientific operations would take a lot of work to accomplish, given the spacecraft's condition.[5] Mission operators decided to complete the mission imminently, as Suzaku had exceeded its design lifespan by eight years at this point. The mission came to an end on 2 September 2015, when JAXA commanded the radio transmitters on Suzaku to switch themselves off.[3][6]
Spacecraft instruments
editSuzaku carried high spectroscopic resolution, very wide energy band instruments for detecting signals ranging from soft X-rays up to gamma-rays (0.3–600 keV). High-resolution spectroscopy and wide-band are essential factors in physically investigating high-energy astronomical phenomena, such as black holes and supernovas. One such feature, the K-line (x-ray), may be key to more direct imaging of black holes.
- X-ray Telescope (XRT)
- X-ray Spectrometer-2 (XRS-2)
- X-ray Imaging Spectrometer (XIS)
- Hard X-ray Detector (HXD)
- Uses Gadolinium Silicate crystal (GSO), Gd2SiO5(Ce)[7]
- Uses Bismuth Germanate crystal (BGO), Bi4Ge3O12[7]
-
X-ray Telescope (XRT) -
Hard X-ray Detector (HXD) -
X-ray Imaging Spectrometer (XIS) -
X-ray Spectrometer (XRS)
Results
editSuzaku discovered "fossil" light from a supernova remnant.[8]
ASTRO-E
editSuzaku was a replacement for ASTRO-E, which was lost in a launch failure. The M-V launch vehicle on the M-V-4 mission launched on 10 February 2000 at 01:30:00 UTC. It experienced a failure of 1st stage engine nozzle 42 seconds into the launch, causing control system breakdown and underperformance.[9][10] Later stages could not compensate for underperformance, leaving payload in 250 miles (400 km) x 50 miles (80 km) orbit and subsequent reentry and crashed with its payload into the Indian Ocean.[11][12]
References
edit
- ^ "Encyclopedia Astronautica – Toshiba". astronautix.com. Archived from the original on 29 November 2010. Retrieved 9 September 2015.
- ^ Kazuhisa Mitsuda (25 January 2007). "The X-Ray Observatory Suzaku". Astronomical Society of Japan. 59 (SP1): S1–S7. arXiv:astro-ph/0608100. Bibcode:2007PASJ...59....1T. doi:10.1093/pasj/59.1.1. S2CID 17354373. Retrieved 4 October 2010.
- ^ a b Stephen Clark (4 September 2015). "Japanese X-ray observatory completes decade-long mission". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 9 September 2015.
- ^ すざく（朱雀、Suzaku）命名の理由 2005 JAXA
- ^ "X-ray Astronomy Satellite "Suzaku" Completes Scientific Mission". National Research and Development Agency (JAXA). 26 August 2015. Retrieved 9 September 2015.
- ^ "Suzaku Mission Declared Complete". Goddard Space Flight Center. NASA. 28 August 2015. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ a b Tadayuki Takahashi (25 January 2007). "Hard X-ray Detector (HXD) on Board Suzaku". Astronomical Society of Japan. 59 (SP1): S23–S33. doi:10.1093/pasj/59.sp1.S23. Retrieved 4 October 2010.
- ^ Suzaku Finds "Fossil" Fireballs from Supernovae 12.30.09 This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ "History ｜ ISAS". History. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ^ "1 How did M-V-4 fly?". www.isas.jaxa.jp. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ^ Ray, Justin (10 February 2000). "Spaceflight Now | Breaking News | Astro-E believed lost following botched launch". spaceflightnow.com. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ^ Kevin Boyce (2005). "ASTRO-E Launch". NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Retrieved 2 March 2010. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
Further reading
edit- Special Issue: First Results from Suzaku Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan. Vol. 59, No. SP1 30 January 2007. Retrieved 4 October 2010.
External links
edit- X-ray Astronomy Satellite "Suzaku" (ASTRO-EII) (JAXA)
- JAXA/ISAS Suzaku (ASTRO-EII) mission overview
- JAXA/ISAS Suzaku Information for Researchers
- JAXA report presentation of failure analysis of XRS (in Japanese)
- NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day: Launch of the Red Bird (12 July 2005)
- NASA ASTRO-EII mission description
- NASA/GSFC Suzaku Learning Center Archived 17 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- NASA/GSFC XRS-2 project page