XMM mirror module insertion

XMM's final mirror module is taken from its transport container for insertion into the Mirror Support Platform. The operation took place in a class-100 tent in ESTEC's Test Centre. ESA's X-ray Multi-Mirror (XMM) high-throughput X-ray spectroscopy mission will be launched by Ariane-5 in January 2000. By virtue of its large collecting area and highly eccentric orbit, the 3.9-tonne XMM will make long observations of soft X-ray (100 eV to 12 keV) sources with unprecedented sensitivity. Most of the 50-200 sources in every image will be revealed for the first time. Whereas the German/US/UK Rosat mission, launched in 1990, pushed the number of known X-ray sources to 120 000, XMM will see millions. [Image Date: 1999/03] [99.04.011-019]