References

236. All About the European Space Agency, ESA, May 1995, p. 5.
237. ESA's Report to the 28th COSPAR Meeting, op. cit., pp. 83-87.
238. Annual Report, ESA, 1994, p. 28.
239. P.B. de Selding, "Improper Practices Drive ESA To Trash Bids", Space News, 18-24 April 1994. pp. 1, 20.
240. P.B. de Selding, "ESA Bid Rejections Stir Geographic Rule Debate", Space News, 25 April - 1 May 1994, pp. 3, 20.
241. "ESA Alleges Collusion", Aviation Week and Space Technology, 2 May 1994, p. 23.
242. UDASA Wins ESA Contract For Large X-Ray Satellite", Aviation Week and Space Technology, 17 October 1994, p. 26.
243. P.B. de Selding, "ESA Selects Deutsche Aerospace for X-Ray Craft", Space News, 24-30 October 1994, p.6.
Adapted from: Europe and Asia in Space 1993-1994, Nicholas Johnson and David Rodvold [Kaman Sciences / Air Force Phillips Laboratory]

XMM

In 1985 ESA set forth its Horizon 2000 program for space science investigations with four Cornerstone" missions. The first cornerstone is STSP, scheduled to begin solar studies with SOHO and Cluster in 1995. The second cornerstone mission, now slated for launch in 1999, is the High-Throughput X-ray Spectroscopy Mission known as the X-ray Multi-Mirror (XMM) observatory. The objective of the program is to collect "high-quality spectral measurements of faint sources down to 2x10^-15 erg/cm²/s together with fast low- and medium-resolution spectroscopy of brighter objects" (Reference 236) as a follow-on to ESA's earlier EXOSAT mission.

The XMM spacecraft will be approximately four metric tons at launch and will be inserted into an elliptical 48-hr orbit with an inclination of 65 degrees. The design of XMM solidified during 1993-1994, but a recompete for a prime contractor was conducted in 1994 after allegations of anticompetitive collusion. The new winner is DASA with Karl Zeiss (Germany) and Medialario (Italy) providing the critical mirror and mirror shell components. Current project emphasis is on perfecting the manufacturing process of the required three mirror modules sensitive to 1-50A waves and made up of 58 nested mirror shells. Three primary instruments have been identified: (1) European Photon Imaging Camera for each mirror module to provide broad band spectrophotometry with CCD arrays,(2) Reflection Grating Spectrometer for two mirror modules to provide medium resolution spectroscopy using reflection gratings, and (3) Optical Monitor consisting of a 30 cm diameter Cassegrain telescope for simultaneous optical coverage of the X-ray telescope field (References 237-243).

NEWSLETTER

Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list

Space

References

XMM