The Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer

The Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer, RXTE, was launched on December 30, 1995. RXTE was designed to facilitate the study of time variability in the emission of X-ray sources with moderate spectral resolution. Time scales from microseconds to months are covered in a broad spectral range from 2 to 250 keV. It was designed for a required lifetime of two years, but operated for more than 16 years.

Mission Characteristics

Lifetime : 30 December 1995 to 05 January 2012
Energy Range : 2 - 250 keV
Special Features : Very large collecting area and all-sky monitoring of bright sources
Payload :

Proportional Counter Array (PCA)
2-60 keV energy range, 6500 sq cm, time resolution 1 microsec
High Energy X-ray Timing Experiment (HEXTE)
15-250 keV energy range, 2 X 800 sq cm
All-Sky Monitor (ASM)
2-10 keV energy range, 30 mCrab sensitivity

Science Highlight:

Discovery of kilohertz QPO’s
Discovery of spin periods in LMXRB
Detection of X-ray afterglows from Gamma Ray Bursts
Extensive observations of the soft state transition of Cyg X-1
Observations of the Bursting Pulsar over a broad range of luminosities, providing stringent test of accretion theories.

Archive: HEASARC hosts Catalogs, Spectra, Lightcurves, and Raw data

[RXTE Guest Observer Facility]

[All Missions] [by Time] [by Energy]

Page authors: Lorella Angelini Jesse Allen

Last modified: Wednesday, 24-Aug-2022 11:10:32 EDT

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The Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer

Mission Characteristics