GRB observations with the HETE soft X-ray cameras

The High Energy Transient Explorer, scheduled to be launched in late 1999 o r early 2000, will carry a pair of Soft X-ray Cameras (SXC), capable of loc alizing the X-ray counterparts of GRBs with unprecedented precision. Each S XC consists of a pair of large-format CCDs behind a 1-D coded aperture: the two SXCs are oriented orthogonal to each other to permit two-dimensional i m age reconstruction. The SXCs on HETE will be able to localize bright X-ra y afterglows to <20 " precision within seconds of burst onset. The coordina tes of detected bursts will be distributed immediately to ground-based obse rvers and to the GCN via the HETE Burst Alert System.