Dear Colleagues,

  MAXI is the first payload to be installed on Japanese Experiment
Module "Kibo"- Exposed Facility (JEM-EF), a component of the
International Space Station (ISS). It provides an all-sky X-ray image
every ISS orbit.  By scanning the sky for one week, MAXI will be able to
make a milli-Crab X-ray all-sky map, excluding the bright region around
the Sun.  MAXI will report X-ray novas or transient phenomena rapidly to
astronomers worldwide and observe long-term variability of Galactic and
extra-Galactic X-ray sources.  MAXI also provides catalogues of all-sky
X-ray sources with diffuse cosmic X-ray background every month and/or
year. MAXI consists of two kinds of detectors, position-sensitive
gas-proportional counters for 2 to 30 keV X-rays and CCD cameras for 0.5
to 10keV X-rays. All MAXI instruments are now in the final phase of
pre-launch tests of their flight modules. Data processing and analysis
software, including a ground alert system, are being developed by the
mission team. Archival data as well as alert data will be made public
via the internet to encourage further investigation as well as
multi-wavelength observations.
  MAXI is now scheduled to be launched by Space Shuttle Endeavour
(STS-127) in early 2009.  After MAXI is mounted on JEM-EF of ISS, we
will adjust software systems and carry out various performance
observations for several months. We welcome you to participate in MAXI
science and utilize its observation data.

                        Sincerely,


			Masaru Matsuoka, Dr. Sci.
			Team Leader of MAXI Mission. 	
 			JAXA/ISAS, ISS project Office
                        Tsukuba Space Center
                        2-1-1 Sengen, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8505
                        Tel: +81-29-868-3780, Fax: +81-868-3956
                        Mail: matsuoka.masaru@jaxa.jp