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Suzaku Launched (formerly named Astro-E2)

Breaking News...

[2005 Jul 09: 23:30 Eastern]:

Astro-E2 was successfully launched aboard the JAXA M-V-6 rocket. The orbit is right on target and spacecraft separation confirmed. The telemetry from tthe XRS instrument is nominal indicating that the XRS cryogenic system is operational.

ISAS/JAXA has continued their custom of renaming their satellites after culturally significant birds once successfully launched. They have renamed Astro-E2 "Suzaku", which represents the red sparrow. This is the southern point of the compass and is symbolic of renewal.

[2005 Jul 07:01:30 Eastern]: Due to weather, launch postponed until saturday night (Eastern). Please call the hotline (301-286-1586) for updates.
[2005 Jul 05: 21:31:36 Eastern]: The launch was scrubbed due to bad weather today and for expected worse weather tomorrow. The next possible launch attempt will be 7/8 (Thursday evening in the US).

[Text adapted from the HEASARC Picture of the Week]

[Image: HEASARC Picture of the Week]
The Astro-E2 launch vehicle on the pad at the Uchinoura Space Center, Uchinoura, Japan. Launch is currently scheduled for July 05: 11:30pm EDT (with a 30 min window). However the weather forecast does not look promising [see forecast]. There will be a live Webcase of the launch.

Astro-E2 is an X-ray observatory built as a collaboration between Japan's Institute for Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and NASA. The scientific payload consists of the X-ray Spectrometer (XRS, developed at NASA/GSFC), an X-ray Imaging Spectrometer (XIS) and a Hard X-ray Detector (HXD).
[Image: NASA/GSFC]

The astrophysics accessible with Astro-E2 observations will be of direct relevance to many members of the Joint Center for Astrophysics, and their close contact with the Astro-E2/XRS-2 Team within the X-ray Astrophysics Laboratory at NASA/GSFC will be invaluable.

For more information on the Astro-E2 mission (science facts, images, latest news etc), see

[UMBC Physics Link-of-the Week Archive]

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[Image: HEASARC Picture of the Week]	The Astro-E2 launch vehicle on the pad at the Uchinoura Space Center, Uchinoura, Japan. Launch is currently scheduled for July 05: 11:30pm EDT (with a 30 min window). However the weather forecast does not look promising [see forecast]. There will be a live Webcase of the launch.
Astro-E2 is an X-ray observatory built as a collaboration between Japan's Institute for Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and NASA. The scientific payload consists of the X-ray Spectrometer (XRS, developed at NASA/GSFC), an X-ray Imaging Spectrometer (XIS) and a Hard X-ray Detector (HXD).	[Image: NASA/GSFC]