Micro-X Sounding Rocket Payload Re-flight Progress

Micro-X is an X-ray sounding rocket payload that had its first flight on July 22, 2018. The goals of the first flight were to operate a transition edge sensor X-ray microcalorimeter array in space and take a high-resolution spectrum of the Cassiopeia A supernova remnant. The first flight was considered a partial success. The array and its time-division multiplexing readout system were successfully operated in space, but due to a failure in the attitude control system, no time on-target was acquired. A re-flight has been scheduled for summer 2022. Since the first flight, modifications have been made to the detector systems to improve noise and reduce the susceptibility to magnetic fields. The three-stage SQUID circuit, NIST MUX06a, has been replaced by a two-stage SQUID circuit, NIST MUX18b. The initial laboratory results for the new detector system will be presented in this paper.

Automated summary

Micro-X is an X-ray sounding rocket payload that had its first flight in July 2018. Despite facing a failure in the attitude control system, the first flight achieved partial success and a re-flight is scheduled. Additionally, modifications have been made to improve the detector systems and initial laboratory results have been obtained.