3. Mission Approval

The ASTRO-D mission was proposed by the ASTRO-D Working Group to the ISAS Space Science Committee in 1986 as a mission to be launched in early 1993. After evaluation of its scientific value, technical feasibility, and the group's development capability, the Committee recommended this mission for implementation. Subsequent to the final selection by ISAS, the proposal was forwarded to the Space Activities Commission (SAC) in 1987 for official approval. Funding started in fiscal 1988. The funded period typically lasts for five years, two years of the Proto-Model (PM) phase and two years of the Flight Model (FM) phase, followed by a preflight qualification test period of about ten months prior to launch. The budget for the ASTRO-D project was about 1 billion yen for the PM, 5.6 million yen for the FM, and 0.5 million yen for the qualification test, excluding costs of the launch vehicle and launch operation.