Explanation:
Glare and exhaust from the three stage, solid fuel
M-V-6 rocket punctuates a perfect launch of the
Astro-E2 observatory.
The dramatic picture was taken at the
Uchinoura
Space Center
on July 10 at 12:30 JST.
For dedicated astronomers,
a celebration is definitely
in order as this launch is a reflight of the Astro-E payload,
originally destroyed in a launch failure
in February 2000.
Now being checked out in Earth orbit, the
innovative instrumentation on board the
satellite will explore
the Universe in
energetic x-rays.
Following a tradition of renaming satellites after their
successful launch,
Astro-E2 has been
newly dubbed Suzaku.
Suzaku, a phoenix-like deity in mythology
associated
with the southern part of the sky, is a 'Red Bird'.
