Spektr-RG

Spektr-RG

Spektr-RG
Mission type X-ray astronomy[1]
Operator Russian Space Research Institute
European Space Agency, Max Planck Institute, University of Leicester
Website hea.iki.rssi.ru/SRG/
Spacecraft properties
Bus Navigator[2]
Manufacturer NPO Lavochkin
Start of mission
Launch date Mar-Apr 2018[1]
Rocket Proton-M[1]
Launch site Baikonur 45/1
Orbital parameters
Reference system Geocentric
Regime Low Earth
Main telescope
Type eROSITA: Wolter
Wavelengths X-ray
Instruments
eROSITA, Lobster, ART-XC

Spektr-RG (Russian for Spectrum + Röntgen + Gamma; also called Spectrum-X-Gamma, SRG, SXG) is an international high-energy astrophysics observatory, which is being built under the leadership of the Russian Space Research Institute (IKI). Spektr-RG instrumentation includes 5 telescopes spanning the energy range from the far ultraviolet to the hard X-ray, plus an all-sky monitor. As of April 2016 it is planned to launch from March 1 to April 14, 2018.[1]

Development of an early version with the same name was cancelled in 2002.[3] The second Spektr-RG is intended to study interplanetary magnetic field, galaxies, black holes.[4]

Spacecraft

The Spektr-RG programme was revived in 2005[5] and the spacecraft was in final stages of assembly during 2016. As of mid-2016 and after repeated slippage in the schedule, instrument launch is scheduled for early-2018.[1] The observatory is intended to study the interplanetary magnetic field, galaxies and black holes.[4]

Instruments

Instruments on the Spektr-RG satellite
Instrument Organisation Description
eROSITA
(Extended Roentgen Survey with an Imaging Telescope Array)
Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics Wolter telescopes
ART-XC IKI/VNIIEF Coded-mask telescopes

Earlier proposal

Spektr-RG as previously envisioned

Development of an early version of Spektr-RG was started in mid-1990s and was cancelled in 2002.[3] Initial launch date was set to 1995,[6] but later postponed as far as 2008, until it was finally cancelled in 2002.[3] However, some of the instruments have been completed, e.g., an X-ray telescope by Leicester University (JET-X)[7] and an ultraviolet telescope by Tel-Aviv University (TAUVEX).

The satellite would have been launched into a 51.5 degree orbit with an apogee of 200,000 kilometres (120,000 mi) and a period of four days, by a Proton-K rocket with a Blok DM-2 upper stage.

Instruments on the Spektr-RG satellite as originally proposed
Instrument Organisation Description
JET-X[8] Two co-aligned 4.4 m-long X-ray telescopes
TAUVEX Ultraviolet telescope
EUVITA Ultraviolet telescope
MART X-ray telescope with coded-aperture instruments
LEPC/HEPC gaseous position-sensitive proportional counters
SIXA two solid-state Si(Li) detectors
SXRP stellar X-ray polarimeter
MOXE X-ray all-sky monitor
DIOGENE Spectrometer for measuring gamma-ray bursts
SPIN Spectrometer for measuring gamma-ray bursts
Gaseous scintillation proportional counter
SODART[9] High-throughput multi-mirror X-ray twin telescope of 8m focal length with changeable detectors on slides for energies between 0.1 and 20 keV
Bragg spectrometer

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Zak, Anatoly (16 April 2016). "Spektr-RG to expand horizons of X-ray astronomy". Russian Space Web. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  2. Gunter Dirk Krebs. "Spektr-RG (SXG)". Retrieved 2011-02-04.
  3. 1 2 3 Harland, David M.; Harvey, Brian (2007), Space Exploration 2008, シュプリンガー・ジャパン株式会社, p. 96, ISBN 978-0-387-71667-1, retrieved 2011-02-04
  4. 1 2 "Russia to Restart Science in Space". Russian Federal Space Agency. 2010-08-12. Retrieved 2011-02-04.
  5. "Spectrum-RG/eRosita/Lobster mission definition document". Russian Space Research Institute. 2005-10-30. Retrieved 2011-02-04.
  6. "Spectrum-X-Gamma". DTU Space. 2000-08-04. Retrieved 2011-02-04.
  7. "Leicester's role in Russian satellite programme revealed as UK's largest telescope goes to Science Museum". DTU Space. 2009-06-17. Retrieved 2011-02-04.

See also

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