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Tenma

Tenma was Japan's second X-ray astronomy mission, launched as ASTRO-B on 20 February 1983 into low Earth orbit. It delivered high-resolution spectra of X-ray stars and galaxies, detected iron-line features and absorption in X-ray sources, and observed gamma-ray bursts and rapid transients.

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TenmaTENMAASTRO-B
Name
Tenma
Status
completed

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Description
Tenma was Japan's second X-ray astronomy mission, launched as ASTRO-B on 20 February 1983 into low Earth orbit. It delivered high-resolution spectra of X-ray stars and galaxies, detected iron-line features and absorption in X-ray sources, and observed gamma-ray bursts and rapid transients.
Destination
Low Earth orbit
End Date
1988-12-17
Outcome
Tenma's high-energy-resolution observations advanced X-ray astronomy through precise iron-line spectroscopy, studies of hot plasma and compact-object systems, and gamma-ray-burst and transient-source observations. ISAS/JAXA records mission operations ending on 17 December 1988.
Start Date
1983-02-20
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Creation Time
August 1, 2026 at 17:57:02 UTC
Updated Time
August 1, 2026 at 17:57:02 UTC

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