Pioneering X-ray Exploration: JAXA and NASA’s XRISM Mission Set for Launch

Pioneering X-ray Exploration: JAXA and NASA’s XRISM Mission Set for Launch

An illustrative representation of XRISM depicts this X-ray initiative as a groundbreaking mission designed to investigate some of the universe’s most energetic entities. Image Courtesy: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Team

The XRISM satellite, a joint venture among JAXA, NASA, and ESA, aspires to deliver unparalleled understanding of the X-ray universe, delving into celestial phenomena and the activities of black holes. The satellite will be launched in tandem with JAXA’s SLIM, and its instruments, namely Resolve and Xtend, are designed for sophisticated X-ray detection and evaluation.

XRISM, an acronym for X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission, is poised to offer the astronomical community an innovative perspective of the X-ray celestial sphere.

Scheduled for launch from Japan’s Tanegashima Space Center on an H-IIA rocket at 8:26 p.m. EDT on Sunday, August 27 (9:26 a.m. on Monday, August 28, in Japan), XRISM is spearheaded by JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) in association with NASA and contributions from ESA (European Space Agency). The live broadcast of the launch will be available on YouTube in both English and Japanese, commencing at 7:55 p.m. EDT.

For additional insights on the XRISM mission, a collaborative project between JAXA and NASA, please refer to the educational video produced by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.

“Among the various scientific interests of XRISM are the study of remnants of stellar explosions and high-velocity particle jets emitted by supermassive black holes situated at galactic centers,” noted Richard Kelley, the principal investigator for NASA’s XRISM mission at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “However, we are particularly eager to explore the unknown phenomena that XRISM is likely to encounter during its cosmic observations.”

Companion Satellite and XRISM’s Functionalities

JAXA’s SLIM (Smart Lander for Investigating Moon) will also be part of this launch. SLIM is engineered to validate precise lunar landing techniques via a compact explorer. NASA has contributed a laser retroreflector array for SLIM as both entities collaborate in the global effort to advance lunar and eventually Martian exploration.

The energy range for XRISM’s X-ray detection spans from 400 to 12,000 electron volts, in contrast to the 2 to 3 electron volts typical of visible light. This will equip astrophysicists with novel data regarding the universe’s most thermally extreme regions, vast structures, and gravitationally potent entities.

Instruments Aboard XRISM

XRISM boasts two primary instruments, Resolve and Xtend.

Resolve is a microcalorimeter spectrometer, developed as a collaborative endeavor between JAXA and NASA. When an X-ray impacts the 6-by-6-pixel detector of Resolve, it induces a minuscule rise in temperature. By quantifying the energy of each individual X-ray, the apparatus sheds light on various characteristics of its source, including its composition, velocity, and physical condition.

To accurately measure these negligible thermal shifts, Resolve operates at a temperature slightly above absolute zero, attained in orbit following a multilevel mechanical refrigeration process within a container resembling the size of a refrigerator and filled with liquid helium.

“Resolve integrates technologies evolved from earlier X-ray missions like Suzaku and Hitomi,” stated Lillian Reichenthal, NASA’s project manager for XRISM at Goddard. “It epitomizes the culmination of years of collaborative efforts between JAXA, NASA, and other global partners.”

Xtend, XRISM’s secondary instrument, is a JAXA innovation and provides one of the broadest fields of view among X-ray imaging satellites launched thus far, capturing an area approximately 60% greater than the full moon’s visible diameter. The imagery it amasses will complement the data gathered by Resolve.

Specialized X-ray Imaging Mechanism of XRISM

Each of the XRISM instruments is strategically positioned at the focal point of an X-ray Mirror Assembly (XMA), conceived and fabricated at Goddard.

Due to the exceedingly short wavelengths of X-rays, conventional dish-shaped mirrors employed for capturing visible, infrared, and ultraviolet light are ineffective. X-ray telescopes, therefore, employ nested curved mirrors oriented laterally, off which X-rays bounce and are then directed into the detectors.

The XMAs of XRISM contain hundreds of meticulously configured, concentric aluminum shells, constructed in quadrants and arranged in a circular pattern. Altogether, the assemblies comprise over 3,200 individual mirror segments.

Yang Soong, a researcher affiliated with the University of Maryland, College Park, showcases completed mirror elements designed for an XMA pertinent to the JAXA/NASA mission. Image Courtesy: Taylor Mickal/NASA

Post-launch, XRISM will undergo an extended calibration phase, during which Resolve will attain its operational temperature.

“Once XRISM starts its data collection phase, the scientific community will be invited to propose observational subjects,” mentioned Mihoko Yukita, an astrophysicist based at Goddard and Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, who is associated with NASA’s Guest Observer Facility for XRISM. “Researchers globally will have the opportunity to engage with the avant-garde work XRISM is set to undertake.”

XRISM is a cooperative mission involving JAXA and NASA, with participation from ESA. The project also includes scientific contributions from the Canadian Space Agency.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about XRISM satellite launch

More about XRISM satellite launch

• JAXA Official Website
• NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
• European Space Agency (ESA)
• Canadian Space Agency
• H-IIA Rocket Information
• Tanegashima Space Center
• X-ray Astronomy Overview
• XRISM Mission Details
• YouTube Channel for JAXA
• Goddard and Johns Hopkins University Collaboration