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ASTRO-H (HITOMI)

Hitomi, originally ASTRO-H, was a Japanese X-ray astronomy observatory launched in 2016. Its instruments were designed to measure energetic cosmic phenomena with exceptional spectral precision. The mission ended soon after launch following a chain of attitude-control problems that caused the spacecraft to break apart, but early observations demonstrated the power of its detectors.

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Object identity

NORAD ID
41337
COSPAR ID
2016-012A
Operator
Not listed
Country
Not listed
Launch date
Not listed

Immediate discovery

Why this satellite matters

Hitomi is an engineering case study in control systems: sensor errors, software logic and actuator commands can interact dynamically, so stability depends on feedback mathematics as much as hardware.

Understanding the mission

Science and engineering ideas

Hitomi is an engineering case study in control systems: sensor errors, software logic and actuator commands can interact dynamically, so stability depends on feedback mathematics as much as hardware.

Mission

Mission and purpose

The current public orbital catalog identifies this object, but verified mission-specific information may be limited. TransitSatellite will expand this page when authoritative information is available.

  • Hitomi is an engineering case study in control systems: sensor errors, software logic and actuator commands can interact dynamically, so stability depends on feedback mathematics as much as hardware.

Design

Engineering

Hitomi is an engineering case study in control systems: sensor errors, software logic and actuator commands can interact dynamically, so stability depends on feedback mathematics as much as hardware.

Real orbital values

The mathematics

The current two-line element set reports approximately 15.1088 revolutions per day. Dividing 1,440 minutes by that value gives an estimated orbital period of 95.3 minutes.

Period

95.3 min

Representative speed

27,339 km/h

Representative altitude

541 km

Inclination

31°

These are representative calculations derived from current orbital elements, not fixed physical specifications. Altitude and speed change around an elliptical orbit, and predictions change as new orbital elements are published.

Launch record

Launch and deployment

Hitomi launched on 17 February 2016 aboard an H-IIA rocket from Tanegashima Space Center.

TransitSatellite does not estimate historical launch weather. Temperature, clouds, wind, holds, and scrub reasons will appear only when supported by traceable historical sources.

Orbit

LEO orbit explained

Low Earth orbit is the region closest to Earth used by most crewed spacecraft, many science missions, Earth-observation satellites, and large constellations. Objects move quickly and commonly complete an orbit in roughly 90 to 130 minutes.

LEO can provide detailed Earth views, lower communications delay, and easier access than higher orbits, but it covers less area per spacecraft and is more affected by atmospheric drag.

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Learning

Questions to explore

  • What can an orbit tell us before the mission is fully identified?
  • Why are stable catalog identifiers important?

Evidence

Sources and data notes

Current identity and orbital elements come from CelesTrak’s public GP data. Calculated orbit values are derived from the current TLE and may change after catalog updates. Mission-history claims are added separately and require authoritative sources.

Catalog updated

Sep 20, 2026, 1:53 AM UTC

Story review

1970-01-01T00:00:00.000Z