Japan’s X-ray satellite spinning out of control, some fragments headed for re-entry

Last week, the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) announced that it had briefly picked up radio signals from its damaged X-ray observatory, Hitomi. Those contacts sparked hope that something might be salvaged from the satellite and its mission. As we previously detailed, Hitomi’s X-ray telescope and mission were a rare chance to study the universe in a way we can’t duplicate on Earth. Unfortunately, additional information now suggests that the probe has gone dark for good. According to Dutch astronomer Marco Langbroek, there’s now evidence the probe didn’t just shed debris, it underwent an actual breakup. More

(Source: ExtremeTech - Apr 5)