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Astro-E2 launched
Credit: ISAS/JAXA & NASA


Red Sparrow

Astro-E2 was successfully launched from the Uchinoura Space Center, Uchinoura, Kagoshima prefecture, Japan at 11:30 pm EDT Saturday, July 9 (12:30 July 10 JST). Astro-E2 has been renamed "Suzaku", which represents the red sparrow, the southern point of the compass, and is symbolic of renewal. Lauch was perfect, and all systems are operating nominally. The observatory should be fully operational in about 23 days, after all systems have been checked out. Astronomers eagerly await the first data from the the X-ray Spectrometer (XRS), the X-ray Imaging Spectrometer (XIS), and the Hard X-ray Detector (HXD). Congratulations to the Suzaku teams at Institute for Space and Astronautical Science, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (ISAS/JAXA) and NASA.


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Page Author: Dr. Michael F. Corcoran
Last modified Tuesday, 27-Feb-2024 10:13:21 EST