XMM-Newton
XMM-Newton, also known as the High Throughput X-ray Spectroscopy Mission and the X-ray Multi-Mirror Mission, is an X-ray space observatory launched by the European Space Agency in December 1999 on an Ariane 5 rocket. It is the second cornerstone mission of ESA's Horizon 2000 programme. Named after physicist and astronomer Sir Isaac Newton, the spacecraft is tasked with investigating interstellar X-ray sources, performing narrow- and broad-range spectroscopy, and performing the first simultaneous imaging of objects in both X-ray and optical (visible and ultraviolet) wavelengths.
Artist's impression of the XMM-Newton spacecraft | |||||||||
| Names | High Throughput X-ray Spectroscopy Mission X-ray Multi-Mirror Mission | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mission type | X-ray astronomy | ||||||||
| Operator | European Space Agency | ||||||||
| COSPAR ID | 1999-066A | ||||||||
| SATCAT no. | 25989 | ||||||||
| Website | http://sci.esa.int/xmm-newton/ http://xmm.esac.esa.int/ | ||||||||
| Mission duration | Planned: 10 years Elapsed: 24 years, 1 month, 15 days | ||||||||
| Spacecraft properties | |||||||||
| Manufacturer | Dornier Satellitensysteme, Carl Zeiss, Media Lario, Matra Marconi Space, BPD Difesa e Spazio, Fokker Space | ||||||||
| Launch mass | 3,764 kg (8,298 lb) | ||||||||
| Dry mass | 3,234 kg (7,130 lb) | ||||||||
| Dimensions | Length: 10.8 m (35 ft) Span: 16.16 m (53 ft) | ||||||||
| Power | 1,600 watts | ||||||||
| Start of mission | |||||||||
| Launch date | 10 December 1999, 14:32 UTC | ||||||||
| Rocket | Ariane 5G No. 504 | ||||||||
| Launch site | Guiana Space Centre ELA-3 | ||||||||
| Contractor | Arianespace | ||||||||
| Entered service | 1 July 2000 | ||||||||
| End of mission | |||||||||
| Deactivated | presumed end of 2026 or later | ||||||||
| Orbital parameters | |||||||||
| Reference system | Geocentric | ||||||||
| Semi-major axis | 65,648.3 km (40,792.0 mi) | ||||||||
| Eccentricity | 0.816585 | ||||||||
| Perigee altitude | 5,662.7 km (3,518.6 mi) | ||||||||
| Apogee altitude | 112,877.6 km (70,138.9 mi) | ||||||||
| Inclination | 67.1338 degrees | ||||||||
| Period | 2789.9 minutes | ||||||||
| Epoch | 4 February 2016, 01:06:30 UTC | ||||||||
| Main telescope | |||||||||
| Type | 3 × Wolter type-1 | ||||||||
| Diameter | Outer mirror: 70 cm (28 in) Inner mirror: 30.6 cm (12 in) | ||||||||
| Focal length | 7.5 m (25 ft) | ||||||||
| Collecting area | 0.4425 m2 (5 sq ft) at 1.5 keV 0.1740 m2 (2 sq ft) at 8 keV | ||||||||
| Wavelengths | 0.1-12 keV (12-0.1 nm) | ||||||||
| Resolution | 5 to 14 arcseconds | ||||||||
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ESA astrophysics insignia for XMM-Newton | |||||||||
Initially funded for two years, with a ten-year design life, the spacecraft remains in good health and has received repeated mission extensions, most recently in March 2023 and is scheduled to operate until the end of 2026. ESA plans to succeed XMM-Newton with the Advanced Telescope for High Energy Astrophysics (ATHENA), the second large mission in the Cosmic Vision 2015–2025 plan, to be launched in 2035. XMM-Newton is similar to NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, also launched in 1999.
As of May 2018, close to 5,600 papers have been published about either XMM-Newton or the scientific results it has returned.