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Observatory Overview

Artists conception of the IXO spacecraft. Credit: NASA. Click the image for a larger view

IXO flyby animation »

IXO builds on three decades of successful X-ray telescope development, including the currently operating Chandra X-ray Observatory (NASA) and XMM-Newton mission (ESA).

The IXO mission study produced a spacecraft configuration that features a single large X-ray mirror assembly and an extendible optical bench with a focal length of ~20 m, and a suite of focal plane instruments. Areas of technology development include X-ray optics, detectors and cooling systems. IXO is planned to have a mass around 6600 kg and be approximately 10 meters long and 4 meters in diameter in its launch configuration. It will fly on either an Atlas V or an Ariane V rocket into an L2 halo orbit.

For more information on the IXO mission and complement of instruments, please, use the links in the side menu.

Selected References

• IXO Quick Reference Guide
• S.L. O'Dell et al., "High-resolution x-ray telescopes", SPIE Conference 7803 Adaptive X-ray Optics, part of SPIE Optics+Photonics 2010, San Diego, CA. arXiv:1010.4892v1. Download PDF
• IXO Astro2010 Decadal submissions »
• The International X-ray Observatory Activity submission in response to the Astro2010 Program Prioritization Panel RFI #1, 2009. Download PDF
• Mechanical Overview of the International X-Ray Observatory, David W. Robinson, IEEE Aerospace Conference, 2009. Download PDF