The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
Find out more about space activities in our 23 Member States, and understand how ESA works together with their national agencies, institutions and organisations.
Exploring our Solar System and unlocking the secrets of the Universe
Go to topicProtecting life and infrastructure on Earth and in orbit
Go to topicUsing space to benefit citizens and meet future challenges on Earth
Go to topicMaking space accessible and developing the technologies for the future
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The upper half of XMM's flight model was placed in the Large Space Simulator (LSS) at ESTEC on 23 February 1999 to begin 10 days of thermal-vacuum testing on 4 March 1999. The module arrived at ESTEC on 9 February 1999 from prime contractor Dornier in Friedrichshafen, Germany. The journey from southern Germany to the Netherlands, with the Black Forest pass deep in snow, was an adventure in itself for the two extra-wide trucks carrying the upper module and the delicate high-tech imaging camera built by European scientists. The module consists of the focal plane assembly and associated telescope tube. The X-ray observatory is planned for launch in January 2000 aboard an Ariane-5 from Kourou, French Guiana. [Image Date: 1999/02] [99.03.004-060]