Abrixas

X-ray astronomy satellite with the mission to carry out an all-sky survey in the 1-10 keV band with 30 arcsecond resolution. MPE/Garching and the Astrophysical Institute in Potsdam developed the scientific payload, a set of seven hard X-ray imaging telescopes with an X-ray CCD detector. The mission complemented MPE's existing all sky survey in the 0.1-2 keV soft band made by the ROSAT satellite.

ABRIXAS (A BRoad band Imaging X-ray All-sky Survey) was a German national X-ray satellite with seven 27-fold nested Wolter-1 telescopes, sharing one 6 × 6 cm2 pn-CCD detector (copy of the EPIC camera developed for XMM) in the focus. ABRIXAS was to perform the first complete all-sky survey with imaging telescopes in the medium energy X-ray range (0.5 - 15 keV). During a three-years scanning mission it was expected to detect at least 10.000 new hard X-ray sources obscured by gas and dust clouds. It would also study diffuse X-ray sources and bright time-variable X-ray sources.

Abrixas was launched on 28 April 1999 from Kapustin Yar. After three days in orbit the launch battery charged the main battery of the satellite in error and destroyed it. Contact with the satellite was not possible. Attempts to activate Abrixas when its solar cells were illuminated by the sun between 25 June and 1 July failed as well. The 20 million dollar project was therefore abandoned.

Typical orbit: 544 x 603 km at 48.4 deg. Mass: 470 kg (1,030 lb). Associated Launch Vehicle: Kosmos 11K65M.

• 1999 April 28 - ABRIXAS - Launch Site: Kapustin Yar. Launch Vehicle: Kosmos 11K65M. Mass: 470 kg (1,030 lb). Perigee: 550 km (340 mi). Apogee: 599 km (372 mi). Inclination: 48.50 deg.

  X-ray astronomy satellite with the mission to carry out an all-sky survey in the 1-10 keV band. The satellite's battery failed and contact was lost on May 1.

• McDowell, Jonathan, Jonathan's Space Report (Internet Newsletter), Harvard University, Weekly, 1989 to Present. Essential internet newsletter recording worldwide weekly space events. Accessed at: http://www.planet4589.org/jsr.html.