The ASTRO-F mission: Large area infrared survey Original Research Article

ASTRO-F is the first Japanese satellite mission dedicated for large area surveys in the infrared. The 69 cm aperture telescope and scientific instruments are cooled to 6 K by liquid Helium and mechanical coolers. During the expected mission life of more than 500 days, ASTRO-F will make the most advanced all-sky survey in the mid- to far-infrared since the Infrared Astronomical Satellite. The survey will be made in six wavebands and will include the first all sky survey at >100–160 μm. Deep imaging and spectroscopic surveys with pointed observations will also be carried out in 13 wavelength bands from 2 to 160 μm. ASTRO-F should detect more than a half million galaxies tracing the large-scale structure of the Universe out to redshifts of unity, detecting rare, exotic extraordinarily luminous objects at high redshift, numerous brown dwarfs, Vega-like stars, protostars, and will reveal the large-scale structure of nearby galactic star forming regions. ASTRO-F is a perfect complement to Spitzer Space Telescope in respect of its wide sky and wavelength coverage. Approximately 30% of pointed observations will be allocated to an open-time opportunity. Updated pre-flight sensitivities as well as the observation plan including the large-area surveys are described.