  AKARI, the first Japanese satellite dedicated to infrared astronomy, was
launched on 2006 February 21, and started observations in May of the same year.
AKARI has a 68.5 cm cooled telescope, together with two focal-plane
instruments, which survey the sky in six wavelength bands from the mid- to
far-infrared. The instruments also have the capability for imaging and
spectroscopy in the wavelength range 2 - 180 micron in the pointed observation
mode, occasionally inserted into the continuous survey operation. The in-orbit
cryogen lifetime is expected to be one and a half years. The All-Sky Survey
will cover more than 90 percent of the whole sky with higher spatial resolution
and wider wavelength coverage than that of the previous IRAS all-sky survey.
Point source catalogues of the All-Sky Survey will be released to the
astronomical community. The pointed observations will be used for deep surveys
of selected sky areas and systematic observations of important astronomical
targets. These will become an additional future heritage of this mission.
