X-ray experiments. Launching organization: ISAS (Institute of Space and Astronautical Science). X-ray observation of X-ray stars in our galaxy as well as X-ray galaxies using a scintillating proportional counter, a transient X-ray source monitor, an X-ray focusing collector, a radiation belt monitor, a gamma ray burst detector and a star sensor.

Typical orbit: 413 km x 444 km at 31 degrees inclination. Associated Launch Vehicle: Mu-3.

• 1981 February 21 - SS-07 Hinotori - Launch Site: Kagoshima. Launch Vehicle: Mu-3. Mass: 185 kg (407 lb). Perigee: 274 km (170 mi). Apogee: 279 km (173 mi). Inclination: 31.30 deg. Period: 90.10 min.

  Hinotori (ASTRO-A). Launching organisation: Institute of Space and Aeronautical Science, University of Tokyo. Investigation of solar flare by X-ray telescope and spectrograph.

• 1983 February 20 - SS-08 Tenma - Launch Site: Kagoshima. Launch Vehicle: Mu-3. Mass: 185 kg (407 lb). Perigee: 431 km (267 mi). Apogee: 438 km (272 mi). Inclination: 31.50 deg. Period: 93.30 min.

  X-ray experiments. Astro-B (Tenma). Launch 0510 GMT. Launching organization: ISAS (Institute of Space and Astronautical Science). X-ray observation of X-ray stars in our galaxy as well as X-ray galaxies using a scintillating proportional counter, a transient X-ray source mo nitor, an X-ray foucsing collector, a radiation belt monitor, a gamma ray burst detector and a star sensor.

• 1987 February 5 - Ginga - Launch Site: Kagoshima. Launch Vehicle: Mu-3. Mass: 420 kg (920 lb). Perigee: 395 km (245 mi). Apogee: 450 km (270 mi). Inclination: 31.00 deg. Period: 93.00 min.

  Studyied galactic gamma ray, X-ray sources. ASTRO-C (Ginga). Observation of variabilities of X-rays from active galactic nuclei and galactic compact sources. Launching organization ISAS. Launch time 0630 GMT.

• 1993 February 20 - Asuka - Launch Site: Kagoshima. Launch Vehicle: Mu-3. Mass: 420 kg (920 lb). Perigee: 539 km (334 mi). Apogee: 646 km (401 mi). Inclination: 31.10 deg. Period: 96.50 min.

  X-ray imaging and astronomy. Imaging and spectroscopic observations of various astronomical objects (stars and galaxies) in the X-ray band. Launching organization ISAS. Launch time 0200 GMT. Astro-D 'ASCA'.

• USAF Satellite Database, USAF Institute of Technology, 1995. Accessed at: ftp://archive.afit.af.mil/pub/space/.

• McDowell, Jonathan, Jonathan's Space Home Page, Harvard University, 1997-present. Jonathan McDowell's complete on-line listing of all objects orbited and over 20,000 rocket launches Accessed at: http://www.planet4589.org/jsr.html.

• Krebs, Gunter, Gunter's Space Page, University of Frankfurt, 1996. Accessed at: http://www.skyrocket.de/space.

• JPL Mission and Spacecraft Library, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 1997. Accessed at: http://msl.jpl.nasa.gov/home.html.

• McDowell, Jonathan, Launch Log, October 1998. Jonathan McDowell's complete on-line listing of all objects orbited since Sputnik. Accessed at: http://hea-www.harvard.edu/~jcm/space/log/launch.html.