X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission
Diagram of the XRISM observatory | |||||||
| Names | XRISM ASTRO-H Successor ASTRO-H2 XARM | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mission type | X-ray astronomy | ||||||
| Operator | JAXA | ||||||
| COSPAR ID | 2023-137A | ||||||
| SATCAT no. | 57800 | ||||||
| Website | xrism www | ||||||
| Mission duration | Planned: 3 years Elapsed: 1 year, 9 months, 13 days | ||||||
| Spacecraft properties | |||||||
| Spacecraft type | ASTRO | ||||||
| Bus | ASTRO-H | ||||||
| Launch mass | 2,300 kg (5,100 lb) | ||||||
| Start of mission | |||||||
| Launch date | 6 September 2023, 23:42:11 UTC | ||||||
| Rocket | H-IIA 202 | ||||||
| Launch site | Tanegashima, LA-Y1 | ||||||
| Contractor | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | ||||||
| Orbital parameters | |||||||
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit | ||||||
| Regime | Low Earth orbit | ||||||
| Perigee altitude | 550 km | ||||||
| Apogee altitude | 550 km | ||||||
| Inclination | 31.0° | ||||||
| Period | 96.0 minutes | ||||||
| Main telescope | |||||||
| Name | Soft X-ray Telescope | ||||||
| Diameter | 45 cm (18 in) | ||||||
| Focal length | 5.6 m (18 ft) | ||||||
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X-ray astronomy satellite in Japan | |||||||
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The X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM, pronounced 'crism' or 'krizz-em', as if the X was a chi), is an X-ray space telescope. It is a mission of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) in partnership with NASA and ESA, intended to study galaxy clusters, outflows from galaxy nuclei, and dark matter.
XRISM is a next generation X-ray astronomy spacecraft, succeeding the Chandra X-ray Observatory and XMM-Newton. XRISM is intended to fill a gap in observational capabilities between the anticipated retirement of those older X-ray telescopes and the future launch of the planned Advanced Telescope for High Energy Astrophysics (ATHENA). The Hitomi X-ray telescope was intended to fill that gap, but destroyed itself a few weeks after launch in 2016. XRISM replaces Hitomi's role of filling the expected observational gap.
During its early design phase, XRISM was known as the "ASTRO-H Successor" or "ASTRO-H2". After the loss of Hitomi, the name X-ray Astronomy Recovery Mission (XARM) was used, the R in the acronym referring to recovering Hitomi's capabilities. The name was changed to XRISM in 2018 when JAXA formally initiated the project team.