XRISM

X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission

Mission Profile

XRISM (X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission) is a JAXA-led X-ray astronomy satellite launched on 6 September 2023 aboard an H-IIA, developed as a recovery mission after the loss of the Hitomi satellite in 2016. Its primary instrument, the Resolve microcalorimeter spectrometer contributed by NASA, provides non-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy at energy resolution 30 times better than conventional CCD detectors, measuring the motions and temperatures of hot gas in galaxy clusters with unprecedented precision. XRISM also carries the Xtend wide-field imager for simultaneous imaging of extended X-ray sources. Early results have confirmed and extended Hitomi's tantalizing findings about galaxy cluster gas dynamics, opening a new window on the physics of hot plasma in the largest cosmic structures.