XMM

X-ray Multi-Mirror, also called XMM-Newton

---

General

Designation	25989 / 99066A
Launch date	10 Dec 1999
Country of origin	Europe
Mission	Astronomy: X-ray astronomy
Perigee/Apogee	7400/114000 km
Inclination	60°
Period	2 days
Launch vehicle	Ariane V119 504

ESA astronomy satellite worth DM 400 million

Largest satellite ever built in Europe. Will focus on black holes and diffuse background.

It has detected more X-ray sources than any previous satellite and is helping solve many cosmic mysteries, from what happens in and around black holes to the formation of galaxies in the early universe.

---

External resources

http://xmm.vilspa.esa.es/

http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/xmm/
http://sci.esa.int/home/xmm-newton/
sat-index articles

Technical data

---

---

Specifications

Prime contractor	Astrium (was Dornier)
Platform
Mass at launch	~ 4000 kg
Mass in orbit
Dry mass	3234 kg
Dimension	10 m long x 4 m diameter
Solar array
Stabilization
DC power
Design lifetime	10 years

XMM carries 3 telescopes of 70 cm diameter (with 58 overlapping mirrors each). It also carries an 0.30 m aperture optical/ultraviolet telescope, the Optical Monitor, which will allow simultaneous measurements of the optical and ultraviolet light from the source being studied with the X-ray telescopes. Pointing accuracy of the telescope array is 0.25 seconds of arc.

---