How ESA's keeping XMM-Newton alive after 20 years and beyond

Another fascinating article at The Register about ESA keeping its space instruments working way past their due-by date. This one is on the X-ray Multi Mirror (XMM) telescope.

ESA’s X-ray Multi Mirror (XMM) telescope, named for English physicist and mathematician Sir Isaac Newton, was launched on an Ariane 5 back on 10 December 1999. Funded for an initial two-year mission, with a ten-year design-life, the biggest science satellite built in Europe (at the time) is now entering its third decade of service.

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