Jointly proposed by Astrophysikalisches Institut Potsdam, Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik and Institut für Astronomie und Astrophysik der Uni Tübingen the ABRIXAS (A BRoad-band Imaging X-ray All-sky Survey) satellite was intended to scan the sky by means of an imaging telescope in medium energy X-ray domain. In this range of wavelength astronomical x-ray sources are not obstructed by interstellar gas and dust. This survey should have complemented the ROSAT data and was meant to have a pilot function for large x-ray observatories such as the ESA project XMM or AXAF. The satellite was launched successfully with a Russian COSMOS from Kapustin Yar on April 28, 1999. Due to problems with its power system ABRIXAS stopped sending data on May 1, 1999. Thus the scientific goals were not achieved.