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X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission

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X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission(X tuyến phân quang toát tượng vệ tinh)
NamesXRISM
ASTRO-H Successor
ASTRO-H2
XARM
Mission typeX-ray astronomy
OperatorJAXA
COSPAR ID2023-137AEdit this at Wikidata
SATCATno.57800Edit this on Wikidata
Websitexrism.isas.jaxa.jp/en
www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/xrism-x-ray-imaging-and-spectroscopy-mission
Mission duration3 years (planned)
≈10 months and 9 days (in progress)
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft typeASTRO
BusASTRO-H
Launch mass2,300 kg (5,100 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date6 September 2023, 23:42:11 UTC[1]
RocketH-IIA202
Launch siteTanegashima Space Center
ContractorMitsubishi Heavy Industries
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric orbit
RegimeLow Earth orbit
Perigee altitude550 km
Apogee altitude550 km
Inclination31.0°
Period96.0 minutes
Main telescope
NameSoft X-ray Telescope
Diameter45 cm (18 in)[2]
Focal length5.6 m (18 ft)
←Hitomi(ASTRO-H)
XRISM

TheX-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission(XRISM,pronounced "crism" ), formerly theX-ray Astronomy Recovery Mission(XARM), is anX-rayspace telescopemission of theJapan Aerospace Exploration Agency(JAXA) in partnership withNASAto provide breakthroughs in the study of structureformation of the universe,outflows fromgalaxy nuclei,anddark matter.[3][4]As the only international X-ray observatory project of its period,XRISMwill function as a next generation space telescope in theX-ray astronomyfield, similar to how theJames Webb Space Telescope,Fermi Space Telescope,and theAtacama Large Millimeter Array(ALMA) Observatory are placed in their respective fields.[2][5]

The mission is a stopgap for avoiding a potential period of observation loss between the current X-ray telescopes (ChandraandXMM-Newton), and those of the future (Advanced Telescope for High Energy Astrophysics(ATHENA)). Without XRISM, there could be a time period during with no X-ray data was collected. This would arise in the early 2020s as these two reach the end of their missions, due to the loss, in 2016, of theHitomiX-ray telescope, which was launched to be the follow-on to the Chandra and Newton telescopes.[2][5]

During its early design phase, XRISM was also known as the "ASTRO-H Successor"or"ASTRO-H2".After the loss ofHitomi,the name XARM was used, the R in the acronym refers to recovering the ability to do X-ray spectroscopy and its benefits. The name changed to XRISM in 2018 when JAXA formally initiated the project team.[6]

Overview[edit]

XRISMspacecraft

With the retirement ofSuzakuin September 2015, and the detectors onboardChandra X-ray ObservatoryandXMM-Newtonoperating for more than 15 years and gradually aging, the failure ofHitomimeant that X-ray astronomers would have a 13-year blank period in soft X-ray observation, until the launch of ATHENA in 2035.[Note 1][2][5][7]This would result in a major setback for the international community,[8]as studies performed by large scale observatories in other wavelengths, such as the James Webb Space Telescope and theThirty Meter Telescopewill commence in the early 2020s, while there would be no telescope to cover the most important part of X-ray astronomy.[2][5]A lack of new missions could also deprive young astronomers a chance to gain hands-on experience from participating in a project.[2][5]Along with these reasons, motivation to recover science that was expected as results fromHitomi,became the rationale to initiate theXRISMproject.XRISMhas been recommended by ISAS's Advisory Council for Research and Management, the High Energy AstroPhysics Association in Japan, NASA Astrophysics Subcommittee, NASA Science Committee, NASA Advisory Council.[5][9]

With its successful launch in September 2023,[1]XRISMis expected to cover the science that was lost withHitomi,such as the structure formation of the universe, feedback from galaxies/active galaxy nuclei, and the history of material circulation from stars to galaxy clusters.[4]The space telescope will also take overHitomi'srole as a technology demonstrator for the EuropeanAdvanced Telescope for High Energy Astrophysics(ATHENA) telescope.[7][10][11]Multiple space agencies, includingNASAand theEuropean Space Agency(ESA) are participating in the mission.[12]In Japan, the project is led by JAXA'sInstitute of Space and Astronautical Science(ISAS) division, and U.S. participation is led by NASA'sGoddard Space Flight Center(GSFC). The U.S. contribution is expected to cost around US$80 million, which is about the same amount as the contribution toHitomi.[13][14]

Changes fromHitomi[edit]

203 foils assembled in theX-ray MirrorAssembly XMA

The X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission will be one of the first projects for ISAS to have a separate project manager (PM) and primary investigator (PI). This measure was taken as part of ISAS's reform in project management to prevent the recurrence of theHitomiaccident.[5]In traditional ISAS missions, the PM was also responsible for tasks that would typically be allocated to PIs in a NASA mission.

WhileHitomihad an array of instruments spanning from soft X-ray to soft gamma ray,XRISMwill focus around the Resolve instrument (equivalent toHitomi'ssoft X-ray spectrometer),[15]as well as Xtend (SXI), which has a high affinity to Resolve.[16]The elimination of a hard X-ray telescope was justified by the 2012 launch of NASA'sNuSTARsatellite, something that did not exist whenHitomi(then known as the New X-Ray Telescope, NeXT) was initially formulated.[17][Note 2]NuSTAR's spatial and energy resolution is analogous toHitomi'shard X-ray instruments.[17]OnceXRISM'soperation starts, collaborative observations with NuSTAR will likely be essential.[4]Meanwhile, the scientific value of the soft and hard X-ray band width boundary has been noted; therefore the option of upgradingXRISM'sinstruments to be partially capable of hard X-ray observation is under consideration.[16][17][needs update]

A hard X-ray telescope proposal with abilities surpassingHitomiwas proposed in 2017.[18]TheFORCE(Focusing On Relativistic universe and Cosmic Evolution) space telescope is a candidate for the next ISAS competitive medium class mission. If selected,FORCEwould be launched after the mid-2020s, with an eye towards conducting simultaneous observations with ATHENA.[18][4]

History[edit]

Following the premature termination of theHitomimission, on 14 June 2016 JAXA announced their proposal to rebuild the satellite.[19]The XARM pre-project preparation team was formed in October 2016.[20]In the U.S. side, formulation began in the summer of 2017.[3]In June 2017, ESA announced that they would participate in XARM as a mission of opportunity.[12]

Instruments[edit]

An illustration of the range of cosmic temperatures including the temperature at which XRISM will work to ensure the optimal functioning of its instruments[21]

XRISM carries two instruments for studying the soft X-ray energy range, Resolve and Xtend. The satellite has telescopes for each of the instruments, SXT-I (Soft X-ray Telescope for Imager) and SXT-S (Soft X-ray Telescope for Spectrometer).[5]The pair of telescopes have a focal length of 5.6 m (18 ft).[2]

Resolve[edit]

Resolve is an X-raymicro calorimeterdeveloped byNASAand theGoddard Space Flight Center.[22]The instrument is a duplicate version of itsHitomipredecessor. It used some space-qualified hardware left from the manufacture ofHitomi'sSXS.[23]

Xtend[edit]

Xtend is an X-rayCCDcamera. Xtend improves on the energy resolution ofHitomi'sSXI.[24]

Launch[edit]

JAXA launched XRISM on 6 September 2023 at 23:42 UTC (7 September 08:42 Japan Standard Time) using anH-IIArocket fromTanegashima Space Center.XRISM was successfully inserted into orbit on the same day, and the accompanying launch payload,SLIM,began its multi-month journey to the Moon.[1]

A protective shutter over the Resolve instrument's detector has failed to open. This does not prevent the instrument from operating, but limits it to observing X-rays of energy1800eVand above, as opposed to the planned300 eV.[25][26]A similar shutter over Xtend has opened normally.

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^Saku Tsuneta, director general of ISAS describes ATHENA as being a "super ASTRO-H"
  2. ^Hitomi/ASTRO-H was known as New X-ray Telescope (NeXT) during its proposal stage

References[edit]

  1. ^abcDavenport, Justin (6 September 2023)."Japanese H-IIA launches X-ray telescope and lunar lander".NASASpaceFlight.Retrieved7 September2023.
  2. ^abcdefgTsuneta, Saku (14 July 2016)."Ｘ tuyến thiên văn vệ tinh ASTRO‐H “ひとみ” の hậu 継 cơ の kiểm thảo について "(PDF)(Press release) (in Japanese). JAXA.Retrieved1 July2017.
  3. ^abHertz, Paul(22 June 2017)."Astrophysics"(PDF).NASA.Retrieved1 July2017.Public DomainThis article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
  4. ^abcdFujimoto, Ryuichi; Tashiro, Makoto (5 January 2017)."ASTRO-Hに đối する cao エネルギーコミュニティの tổng quát と kim hậu の phương hướng tính について"(PDF)(in Japanese). JAXA.Retrieved1 July2017.
  5. ^abcdefgh"Ｘ tuyến thiên văn vệ tinh đại thế cơ の kiểm thảo trạng huống について"(PDF)(in Japanese). Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. 29 September 2016.Retrieved1 July2017.
  6. ^"X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission: What's New".NASAGoddard Space Flight Center.Retrieved22 January2024.
  7. ^ab"ISASニュース 2017.1 No.430"(PDF)(in Japanese). Institute of Space and Astronautical Science. 22 January 2017.Retrieved23 March2016.
  8. ^"Ｘ tuyến thiên văn vệ tinh “ひとみ” の dị thường sự tượng への đối ứng と đại thế cơ の khai phát について "(PDF)(in Japanese). Committee on National Space Policy of Japan. 18 August 2016.Retrieved1 July2017.
  9. ^Craft, R.; Bautz, M.; Tomsick, J. (29 January 2017)."Probing the Hot and Energetic Universe: X-rays and Astrophysics"(PDF).NASA.Retrieved28 June2017.Public DomainThis article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
  10. ^Takahashi, Tadayuki (27 November 2015)."X tuyến thiên văn vệ tinh ASTRO-Hの vệ tinh khái yếu"(PDF)(in Japanese). JAXA.Retrieved13 July2017.
  11. ^Dotani, Tadayasu (15 June 2011)."The 1st Athena Science Workshop JAXA Contribution"(PDF).Institute of Space and Astronautical Science.Retrieved24 June2017.
  12. ^ab"GRAVITATIONAL WAVE MISSION SELECTED, PLANET-HUNTING MISSION MOVES FORWARD".ESA. 20 June 2017.Retrieved24 June2017.
  13. ^Foust, Jeff (21 July 2016)."NASA may build replacement instrument for Japanese astronomy mission".SpaceNews.Retrieved30 June2017.
  14. ^"Đệ ９ hồi vũ trụ khoa học ・ tham tra tiểu ủy viên hội nghị sự yếu chỉ"(PDF)(in Japanese). Committee on National Space Policy of Japan. 1 November 2016.Retrieved30 June2017.
  15. ^Tashiro, Makoto; Kelley, Richard (8 June 2017)."X‐ray Astronomy Recovery Mission XARM"(PDF).ESA.Retrieved5 October2017.
  16. ^ab"Vũ trụ khai phát lợi dụng bộ hội ( đệ 30 hồi ) nghị sự lục"(in Japanese).Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.29 September 2016. Archived fromthe originalon 9 July 2017.Retrieved1 July2017.
  17. ^abc"Vũ trụ khai phát lợi dụng bộ hội ( đệ 29 hồi ) nghị sự lục"(in Japanese).Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.14 July 2016. Archived fromthe originalon 9 July 2017.Retrieved1 July2017.
  18. ^abNakazawa, Kazuhiro; Mori, Koji (6 January 2017)."Nhuyễn Ｘ tuyến から ngạnh Ｘ tuyến の quảng đái vực を cao cảm độ で toát tượng phân quang する tiểu hình vệ tinh kế họa FORCE - Focusing On Relativistic universe and Cosmic Evolution"(PDF)(in Japanese). JAXA.Retrieved1 July2017.
  19. ^"Astrophysics Implementation Plan: 2016 Update"(PDF).NASA. 15 December 2017.Retrieved1 July2017.
  20. ^"ISASニュース 2017.6 No.435"(PDF)(in Japanese). Institute of Space and Astronautical Science. 23 June 2017.Retrieved4 July2017.
  21. ^SVS (3 August 2023)."NASA Scientific Visualization Studio | A Guide to Cosmic Temperatures".SVS.Retrieved6 August2023.
  22. ^"Missions of Opportunity (MO) in Development – X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM) – Resolve".NASA.Retrieved9 July2019.Public DomainThis article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
  23. ^Foust, Jeff (13 June 2016)."NASA and JAXA begin discussions on aftermath of Hitomi failure".SpaceNews.Retrieved28 June2017.
  24. ^"X tuyến thiên văn vệ tinh ASTRO-Hのプロジェクト chung liễu について"(PDF)(in Japanese). Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. 30 May 2017.Retrieved1 July2017.
  25. ^"XRISM's First Light and Operational Update"(Press release).Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.5 January 2024....Resolve's spectra are still limited to 1,800 eV and above because the Dewar aperture door to protect the sensitive detector has yet to be opened....
  26. ^Kazmierczak, Jeanette (5 January 2024)."NASA/JAXA XRISM Mission Reveals Its First Look at X-ray Cosmos"(Press release). NASAGoddard Space Flight Center.The door, designed to protect the detector before launch, has not opened as planned after several attempts. The door blocks lower-energy X-rays, effectively cutting the mission off at 1,700 electron volts compared to the planned 300.

External links[edit]

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