HII/L2 mission: future Japanese infrared astronomical mission

Takao Nakagawa; Masahiko Hayashi; Mitsunobu Kawada; Hideo Matsuhara; Toshio Matsumoto; Hiroshi Murakami; Haruyuki Okuda; Takashi Onaka; Hiroshi Shibai; Munetaka Ueno

doi:10.1117/12.324469

28 August 1998 HII/L2 mission: future Japanese infrared astronomical mission

Takao Nakagawa, Masahiko Hayashi, Mitsunobu Kawada, Hideo Matsuhara, Toshio Matsumoto, Hiroshi Murakami, Haruyuki Okuda, Takashi Onaka, Hiroshi Shibai, Munetaka Ueno

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 3356, Space Telescopes and Instruments V; (1998) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.324469
Event: Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation, 1998, Kona, HI, United States

Abstract

We present a conceptual design of a future Japanese IR astronomical satellite: the HIII/L2 mission. We propose a 'warm launch' cooled telescope; the telescope is to be launched at ambient temperature and is to be cooled in orbit to 4.5K by a modest cryogenic cooler with the help of radiative cooling. Since liquid helium and hence a heavy vacuum vessel are not longer required, the warm launch design reduces the weight of the satellite dramatically. We propose to launch this satellite into a halo orbit around S- E L2, one of the Sun-Earth Lagrangian liberation points. The S-E L2 is an ideal orbit for IR astronomy, since (1) radiative cooling can become very effective, and (2) by the Japanese H-IIA launching vehicle. This mission focuses on high-resolution mid- to far-IR observations with unprecedented sensitivity, since the large aperture reduces confusion noise and the cooled optics suppresses instrumental background radiation. The HII/L2 mission is an ideal observatory-type platform to make follow-up observations to the ASTRO-F/IRIS survey mission. The target launch year is 2010.

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Takao Nakagawa, Masahiko Hayashi, Mitsunobu Kawada, Hideo Matsuhara, Toshio Matsumoto, Hiroshi Murakami, Haruyuki Okuda, Takashi Onaka, Hiroshi Shibai, and Munetaka Ueno "HII/L2 mission: future Japanese infrared astronomical mission", Proc. SPIE 3356, Space Telescopes and Instruments V, (28 August 1998); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.324469

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