A Japanese infrared astronomy observatory launched in 2006. ASTRO-F carried a 0.7-m telescope to make an all-sky survey with better sensitivity and resolution than ESA's Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) in 1983. Among ASTRO-F's aims were to help our understanding of how galaxies, stars, and planetary systems form and evolve. It successfully scanned 94% of the sky before it became inoperable in 2011.