An overview of MAXI onboard JEM-EF of the International Space Station

MAXI is the first payload to be attached on JEM-EF (Kibo exposed facility) of ISS. It provides an all sky X-ray image every ISS orbit. If MAXI scans the sky during one week, it could make a milli-Crab X-ray all sky map excluding bright region around the sun. Thus, MAXI does not only inform X-ray novae and transients rapidly to world astronomers if once they occur, but also observes long-term variability of Galactic and extra-Galactic X-ray sources. MAXI also provides an X-ray source catalogue at that time with diffuse cosmic X-ray background. MAXI consists of two kinds of detectors, position sensitive gas-proportional counters for 2-30 keV X-rays and CCD cameras for 0.5-10 keV X-rays. All instruments of MAXI are now in final phase of pre-launching tests of their flight modules. We are also carrying out performance tests for X-ray detectors and collimators. Data processing and analysis software including alert system on ground are being developed by mission team. In this paper we report an overview of final instruments of MAXI and capability of MAXI.

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