Suzaku (previously called Astro-E2) was successfully launched on 2005 July 10 by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) in collaboration with U.S. (NASA/GSFC and MIT) and Japanese institutes. Suzaku covers the energy range 0.3-600 keV and is currently performing astronomical observations using imaging CCD cameras (XIS) and a hard X-ray detector (HXD).

Suzaku brings new capabilities to observe all classes of astronomical objects including active galactic nuclei, clusters of galaxies, stars, supernova remnants, X-ray binaries and solar system objects. After a nine month performance verification phase, Suzaku began operating as an observatory, open to the world-wide astronomical community.

Since the start of open time observations, JAXA has kindly offered to allocate 8% of the open observing time to proposals from scientists from institutes located in ESA Member States. The European proposals are peer-reviewed by an ESA-appointed Time Allocation Committee and the recommended proposals forwarded to JAXA for merging with those resulting from the parallel Japanese and US calls. The Results of the ESA Suzaku AO-5 are now available.

The Suzaku data archive containing all public data is now open.