Review Articles

Takahashi T.;Kokubun M.;Mitsuda K.;Kelley R.;Ohashi T.;Aharonian F.;Akamatsu H.;Akimoto F.;Allen S.;Anabuki N.;Angelini L.;Arnaud K.;Asai M.;Audard M.;Awaki H.;Axelsson M.;Azzarello P.;Baluta C.;Bamba A.;Bando N.;Bautz M.;Bialas T.;Blandford R.;Boyce K.;Brenneman L.;Brown G.;Bulbul E.;Cackett E.;Canavan E.;Chernyakova M.;Chiao M.;Coppi P.;Costantini E.;O' Dell S.;DiPirro M.;Done C.;Dotani T.;Doty J.;Ebisawa K.;Eckart M.;Enoto T.;Ezoe Y.;Fabian A.;Ferrigno C.;Foster A.;Fujimoto R.;Fukazawa Y.;Funk S.;Furuzawa A.;Galeazzi M.;Gallo L.;Gandhi P.;Gilmore K.;Giustini M.;Goldwurm A.;Gu L.;Guainazzi M.;Haas D.;Haba Y.;Hagino K.;Hamaguchi K.;Harrus I.;Hatsukade I.;Hayashi T.;Hayashi K.;Hayashida K.;Den Herder J.;Hiraga J.;Hirose K.;Hornschemeier A.;Hoshino A.;Hughes J.;Ichinohe Y.;Iizuka R.;Inoue H.;Inoue Y.;Ishibashi K.;Ishida M.;Ishikawa K.;Ishimura K.;Ishisaki Y.;Itoh M.;Iwai M.;Iwata N.;Iyomoto N.;Jewell C.;Kaastra J.;Kallman T.;Kamae T.;Kara E.;Kataoka J.;Katsuda S.;Katsuta J.;Kawaharada M.;Kawai N.;Kawano T.;Kawasaki S.;Khangulyan D.;Kilbourne C.;Kimball M.

2018

April

HITOMI (ASTRO-H) X-ray astronomy satellite

Published

1

()

Gamma ray Gamma-ray astronomy Hard x-ray Microcalorimeter X-ray X-ray astronomy

© The Authors. The Hitomi (ASTRO-H) mission is the sixth Japanese x-ray astronomy satellite developed by a large international collaboration, including Japan, USA, Canada, and Europe. The mission aimed to provide the highest energy resolution ever achieved at E > 2 keV, using a microcalorimeter instrument, and to cover a wide energy range spanning four decades in energy from soft x-rays to gamma rays. After a successful launch on February 17, 2016, the spacecraft lost its function on March 26, 2016, but the commissioning phase for about a month provided valuable information on the onboard instruments and the spacecraft system, including astrophysical results obtained from first light observations. The paper describes the Hitomi (ASTRO-H) mission, its capabilities, the initial operation, and the instruments/spacecraft performances confirmed during the commissioning operations for about a month.

2329-4124

10.1117/1.JATIS.4.2.021402