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H. Inoue (ISAS)
ISAS failed to carry the Astro-E satellite into an orbit on February 10, 2000. It should have been an international X-ray astronomy observatory characterized by the superior energy resolution of the micro-calorimeter experiment (XRS) and by the wide band spectroscopy with the CCD cameras (XIS) and the hard X-ray detector (HXD). ISAS is now intending to start developing the Astro-EII mission basically identical to the Astro-E mission, and to launch it early 2005, although its governmental approval has not been completed yet. This mission would still be very unique and fruitful. What happened to the Astro-E launch and the current status of the Astro-EII mission are briefly presented.