Upcoming and Recently Launched High-Energy Astrophysics Missions
Astronomical
Roentgen Telescope X-ray Concentrator (ART-XC) [Russia] - a
grazing-incidence X-ray telescope produced by a collaboration of IKI
RAS and Russian Federal Nuclear Center with participation of NASA
Marshall Space Flight Center. ART-XC complements eROSITA, providing
additional sensitivity at higher X-rays, from 5 to 30 keV. The main
science goals include: (1.) To perform first ever sensitive all-sky survey
in 5-11 keV band, detecting thousands of obscured AGNs and unveiling
absorbed Galactic sources, such as high-mass X-ray binaries and
cataclysmic variables;
(2.) Conduct several wide-field surveys of the most interesting regions
of X-ray sky such as Galactic Center, Norma Arm, Small Magellanic
Cloud etc. ART-XC will also perform deep surveys of Ecliptic Poles. In this dedicated fields ART-XC will provide coverage in a full 5-30 keV range.
(3.) To search for transient X-ray sources, using unique
"concentrator" approach, that extends telescopes field of view for
bright sources. (Launched on July 13, 2019)
Athena [ESA] - a large X-ray observatory "offering
spatially-resolved X-ray spectroscopy and deep wide-field X-ray spectral
imaging with performance greatly exceeding that offered by current X-ray
observatories like XMM-Newton and Chandra, or by missions like Hitomi and
SRG/eROSITA". Athena was proposed as a concept for a large effective area
mission for the ESA science program, incorporating a single telescope with a
fixed focal length (12 m) and two interchangeable instruments in the focal
plane, a wide-field imager (WFI) and an X-ray integral field unit (X-IFU),
i.e., an X-ray calorimeter. On Nov 28th, 2013, ESA selected the science theme
"The Hot and Energetic Universe" for its next large satellite mission (L2),
and on Jun 27th, 2014, it selected Athena as the mission for this theme.
NASA is working with ESA to define the possible NASA contribution to this
ESA-led X-ray mission. (To launch in 2028)
Dark Matter Particle Explorer (DAMPE) [China] - satellite for
high-energy gamma-ray, electron and cosmic rays detection - will measure
electrons and photons with much higher energy resolution and energy reach than
achievable with existing space experiments in order to identify possible Dark
Matter signatures, and will also advance the understanding of the origin and
propagation mechanism of high energy cosmic rays, as well make new discoveries
in high energy gamma astronomy. (Launched on December 17, 2015)
extended Roentgen Survey with an
Imaging Telescope Array (e-ROSITA) [Germany] - eROSITA will perform an all-sky
medium-energy X-ray survey with a hundred times more sensitivity and a hundred
times better angular resolution than the best previous 2-10 keV survey
(performed by the A-2 instrument on HEA0-1 in the late 1970's).
The main scientific goals include detecting systematically all obscured accreting Black Holes in nearby
galaxies, as well as many (~ 3 Million) new, distant active galactic
nuclei; detecting the hot intergalactic medium of 50-100 thousand
galaxy clusters and groups and hot gas in filaments between clusters, so as to map out the
large-scale structure in the Universe for the study of cosmic structure
evolution; studying in detail the physics of galactic X-ray source populations, like
pre-main sequence stars, supernova remnants and X-ray
binaries.(Launched on July 13, 2019)
Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope
(HXMT) [China] - 1-30 keV (imaging), 20-250 keV (direct demodulation
imaging) - will scan the Galactic Plane to find new transient sources and
monitor known variable sources, observe X-ray binaries to study the dynamics
and emission mechanism in strong gravitational or magnetic fields, and find
and study gamma-ray bursts .
[More] (Launched on June 15, 2017 and began science operations
on January 30, 2018)
Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) [NASA] -
2-8 keV polarimeter with proportional counter resolution and sub-arcminute
spatial resolution. (To launch in Late 2020)
Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) [ESA/NASA] - will be
the first space-based gravitational wave observatory. Selected to be ESA's
third large-class mission (L3), it will address the science theme of the
Gravitational Universe. LISA will consist of three spacecraft separated by
2.5 million km in a triangular formation, following Earth in its orbit around
the Sun. LISA is a collaboration of ESA and NASA. (To launch in 2034)
Lomonosov [Russian UHE Cosmic Ray and GRB Mission]
- includes gamma-ray burst detector and cosmic ray instrument.
[More] (Launched on April
28, 2016)
Spectrum-Roengten-Gamma (SRG) [Russian/German soft and hard X-ray mission]
- includes eROSITA X-ray
(0.5-10 keV) telescope (all-sky survey, then pointed observations)
[More]
(To launch in Fall 2018)
Space-based astronomical Variable Object Monitor (SVOM) [Sino-French GRB
mission] - with a 4-150 keV coded-mask telescope, a non-imaging gamma-ray (50
keV - 5 MeV) spectrometer, an optical telescope and a microchannel X-ray (0.2 -
10 keV) telescope with a lobster-eye optic. (To Launch in 2021)
X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM) [JAXA/NASA with ESA participation]
- a high-throughput, high-resolution spectroscopy mission, consisting of
a narrow-field, high-resolution (Δ(E) ~ 5 - 7 eV) soft X-ray (E ~ 0.3 -
12 keV) spectrometer and a wider-field soft X-ray (0.5 - 12 keV) imager, i.e.,
similar to the SXS and SXI, respectively, flown on Hitomi
.
[More] (To Launch in 2022)
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