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X-ray telescopes

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Chandra X-ray Observatory
NASA space observatory
Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory
mission concerning a space observatory in low earth orbit measuring gamma ray radiation
XMM-Newton
280px|thumb|right|Animation of XMM-Newton trajectory around Earth XMM-Newton, also known as the High Throughput X-ray Spectroscopy Mission and the X-ray Multi-Mirror Mission, is an X-ray space observatory launched by the European Space Agency in December 1999 on an Ariane 5 rocket. It is the second cornerstone mission of ESA's Horizon 2000 programme. Named after physicist and astronomer Sir Isaac Newton, the spacecraft is tasked with investigating interstellar X-ray sources, performing narrow- and broad-range spectroscopy, and performing the first simultaneous imaging of objects in both X-ray
ROSAT
ROSAT (short for Röntgensatellit; in German X-rays are called Röntgenstrahlen, in honour of Wilhelm Röntgen) was a German Aerospace Center-led satellite X-ray telescope, with instruments built by West Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States. It was launched on 1 June 1990, on a Delta II rocket from Cape Canaveral, on what was initially designed as an 18-month mission, with provision for up to five years of operation. ROSAT operated for over eight years, finally shutting down on 12 February 1999.
Astrosat
AstroSat is India's first dedicated multi-wavelength space telescope. It was launched on a PSLV-XL on 28 September 2015. With the success of this satellite, ISRO has proposed launching AstroSat-2 as a successor for AstroSat.
Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array
NuSTAR (Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, also named Explorer 93 and SMEX-11) is a NASA space-based X-ray telescope that uses a conical approximation to a Wolter telescope to focus high energy X-rays from astrophysical sources, especially for nuclear spectroscopy, and operates in the range of 3 to 79 keV.
Uhuru
first satellite launched specifically for the purpose of X-ray astronomy
INTEGRAL
thumb|right|Animation of INTEGRAL spacecraft orbit trajectory The INTErnational Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory (INTEGRAL) is a retired space telescope for observing gamma rays of energies up to 8 MeV. It was launched by the European Space Agency (ESA) into Earth orbit in 2002, and is designed to provide imaging and spectroscopy of cosmic sources. In the MeV energy range, it is the most sensitive gamma ray observatory in space. It is sensitive to higher energy photons than X-ray instruments such as NuSTAR, the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, XMM-Newton, and lower than other gamma-ray instrum
Einstein Observatory
space observatory
Spektr-RG
Spektr-RG (Russian: Спектр-РГ, Spectrum + Röntgen + Gamma; also called Spectrum-X-Gamma, SRG, SXG) is a Russian–German high-energy astrophysics space observatory which was launched on 13 July 2019. It follows on from the Spektr-R satellite telescope launched in 2011.
Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager
space observatory which reentered in 2023
Hinode
JAXA space observatory
Yohkoh
Yohkoh (, 'Sunbeam'), known before launch as Solar-A, was a Solar observatory spacecraft of the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (Japan), in collaboration with space agencies in the United States and the United Kingdom. It was launched into Earth orbit on August 30, 1991 by the M-3SII rocket from Kagoshima Space Center. It took its first soft X-ray image on 13 September 1991, 21:53:40, and movie representations of the X-ray corona over 1991-2001 are available at the Yohkoh Legacy site.
BeppoSAX
BeppoSAX was an Italian–Dutch satellite for X-ray astronomy which played a crucial role in resolving the origin of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), the most energetic events known in the universe. It was the first X-ray mission capable of simultaneously observing targets over more than 3 orders-of-magnitude of energy, from 0.1 to 300 kiloelectronvolts (keV) with relatively large area, good (for the time) energy resolution and imaging capabilities (with a spatial resolution of 1 arc minute between 0.1 and 10 keV). BeppoSAX was a major programme of the Italian Space Agency (ASI) with the participation o
Hitomi
failed Japanese X-ray astronomy satellite
Astronomical Netherland Satellite
Dutch space-based X-ray and ultraviolet telescope
Suzaku
decommissioned Japanese X-ray astronomy satellite
EXOSAT
The European X-ray Observatory Satellite (EXOSAT), originally named HELOS, was an X-ray telescope operational from May 1983 until April 1986 and in that time made 1780 observations in the X-ray band of most classes of astronomical object including active galactic nuclei, stellar coronae, cataclysmic variables, white dwarfs, X-ray binaries, clusters of galaxies, and supernova remnants.
Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer
NASA space observatory
Astro-rivelatore Gamma a Immagini Leggero
former gamma-ray astronomy satellite
High Energy Transient Explorer
space observatory
Granat
The International Astrophysical Observatory "GRANAT" (usually known as Granat; , lit. pomegranate), was a Soviet (later Russian) space observatory developed in collaboration with France, Denmark and Bulgaria. It was launched on 1 December 1989 aboard a Proton rocket and placed in a highly eccentric four-day orbit, of which three were devoted to observations. It operated for almost nine years.
Tenma
Tenma, known as ASTRO-B before launch, was a Japanese X-ray astronomy satellite developed by the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science. It was launched on 20 February 1983, using a M-3S rocket on the M-3S-3 mission. It was the second X-ray observatory successfully operated by Japan after Hakucho (CORSA-B), and it had a superior temporal and spectral sensitivity compared to its predecessor.
Advanced Satellite for Cosmology and Astrophysics
cosmic X-ray astronomy mission
X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission
Japanese X-ray space telescope
Hinotori
Japanese artificial satellite
Ginga
satellite
High Energy Astronomy Observatory 1
space observatory
High Energy Astronomy Observatory 3
space observatory
Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer
Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer, commonly known as IXPE or SMEX-14, is a space observatory with three identical telescopes designed to measure the polarization of cosmic X-rays of black holes, neutron stars, and pulsars. The observatory, which was launched on 9 December 2021, is an international collaboration between NASA and the Italian Space Agency (ASI). It is part of NASA's Explorers program, which designs low-cost spacecraft to study heliophysics and astrophysics.
Hakucho
thumb|Scale model of the Hakucho at Noshiro, Akita|Noshiro City Children's Center Hakucho (also known as CORSA-b before launch; CORSA stands for Cosmic Radiation Satellite) was Japan's first X-ray astronomy satellite, developed by the Institute of Space and Aeronautical Science (then a division of the University of Tokyo). It was launched from the Kagoshima Space Center by the ISAS M-3C rocket on the M-3C-4 mission on February 21, 1979 and reentered the atmosphere on April 15, 1985.
X-ray telescope
telescope designed to observe objects in the X‑ray band of the electromagnetic spectrum
Wolter telescope
X-ray telescope that uses grazing incidence optics
list of space telescopes
Wikimedia list article
Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer
X-ray telescope on the International Space Station
Einstein Probe
Chinese X-ray astronomy satellite
Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope
X-ray space observatory
Advanced Telescope for High-Energy Astrophysics
planned X-ray telescope of the European Space Agency, under development for launch around 2028
Space Variable Objects Monitor
French-Chinese small X-ray telescope satellite
Apollo Telescope Mount
solar observatory on Skylab
XPoSat
thumb|XPoSat being tested on Earth The X-ray Polarimeter Satellite (XPoSat) is an ISRO-manufactured space observatory to study polarisation of cosmic X-rays. It was launched on 1 January 2024 on a PSLV rocket, and it has an expected operational lifespan of at least five years.
Array of Low-Energy X-ray Imaging Sensors
decommissioned American X-ray telescope
eROSITA
eROSITA is an X-ray instrument built by the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (MPE) in Germany. It is part of the Russian–German Spektr-RG space observatory, which also carries the Russian telescope ART-XC. It was launched by Roscosmos on 13 July 2019 from Baikonur, and deployed in a 6-month halo orbit around the second Lagrange point (L2). It began collecting data in October 2019. Due to the breakdown of institutional cooperation between Germany and Russia after the invasion of Ukraine, the instrument stopped collecting data on February 26, 2022.
XEUS
XEUS (X-ray Evolving Universe Spectroscopy) was a space observatory plan developed by the European Space Agency (ESA) as a successor to the successful XMM-Newton X-ray satellite telescope. It was merged to the International X-ray Observatory (IXO) around 2008, but as that project ran into issues in 2011, the ESA component was forked off into Advanced Telescope for High Energy Astrophysics (Athena).
International X-ray Observatory
cancelled American-ESA-Japanese space telescope project
Gravity and Extreme Magnetism Small Explorer
cancelled NASA mission
Q12129338
NASA space observatory launched in 1972
THESEUS
Transient High-Energy Sky and Early Universe Surveyor (THESEUS) is a space telescope mission proposal by the European Space Agency that would study gamma-ray bursts and X-rays for investigating the early universe. If developed, the mission would investigate star formation rates and metallicity evolution, as well as studying the sources and physics of reionization.
Lynx X-ray Surveyor
X-ray observatory
Constellation-X Observatory
NASA mission concept