Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
XMM-Newton
Introduction References & Edit History Related Topics
Images
XMM-Newton spacecraft Geminga pulsar
Quizzes
View of the Andromeda Galaxy (Messier 31, M31).
Astronomy and Space Quiz
The orbits of the planets and other elements of the solar system, including asteroids, Kuiper belt, Oort cloud, comet
Space Odyssey
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites
XMM-Newton spacecraft
XMM-Newton spacecraft Artist's conception of the XMM-Newton spacecraft.

XMM-Newton

European Space Agency satellite
Written by
Erik Gregersen
Erik Gregersen is a senior editor at Encyclopaedia Britannica, specializing in the physical sciences and technology. Before joining Britannica in 2007, he worked at the University of Chicago Press on the...
Erik Gregersen
Fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
Last updated
•History

XMM-Newton, European Space Agency (ESA) satellite that observes celestial X-ray sources. It was launched in 1999 and was named after English physicist Isaac Newton. XMM-Newton is one of the largest European science satellites. It is 10 metres (33 feet) long, its solar arrays span 16 metres (52 feet), and it weighs 3.8 metric tons. It was launched on December 10, 1999, from Kourou, French Guiana, by an Ariane 5 launch vehicle. The satellite orbits Earth...

Discover the world with Britannica

Subscribe to Continue Reading

Free Trial | No Ads | Exclusive Content
Explore Subscriptions
DNA
Right
Mobile