X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM)
(formerly XARM)
The X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM) is a JAXA/NASA collaborative mission, with ESA participation. The objective of the mission is to investigate celestial X-ray objects in the Universe with high-throughput imaging and high-resolution spectroscopy. XRISM is expected to launch in 2021 (TBR) on a JAXA H-2A rocket.
The XRISM payload consists of two instruments:
- Resolve, a soft X-ray spectrometer, which combines a lightweight X-Ray Mirror Assembly paired with an X-ray calorimeter spectrometer, and provides non-dispersive 5-7 eV energy resolution in the 0.3-12 keV bandpass with a field of view of about 3 arcmin.
- Xtend, a soft X-ray imager, is a CCD detector that extends the field of the observatory to 38 arcmin over the energy range 0.4-13 keV, using an identical lightweight X-Ray Mirror Assembly.
Their characteristics are similar to the SXS and SXI respectively flown on Hitomi and XRISM is designed to resume with most of the the science capability lost with the Hitomi mishap.
NASA/GSFC develops the Resolve detector system and many of its subsystems together with the X-Ray Mirror Assembles. NASA/GSFC also has responsibility for the Science Data Center charter to develop the analysis software for all instruments, the data processing pipeline as well as to support Guest Observers and the XRISM Guest Observer Program.
