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"ESA's Future Programme in High-Energy Astronomy"

Dr. Arvind Parmar (Astrophysics Mission Division Research & Scientific Support Department ESA, Netherlands) 

Abstract:

ESA has ambitious plans in high-energy astronomy. As well as XMM-Newton which was launched in 1999, and INTEGRAL which is due for launch in a few weeks, ESA is currently studying 4 future high-energy astronomy missions.

These are Lobster-ISS, an all-sky imaging X-ray monitor, Rosita - a medium energy X-ray survey telescope, the Extreme Universe Space Observatory (EUSO) which will study the highest energy cosmic rays by using the Earth's atmosphere as a giant detector and XEUS - the X-ray Evolving Universe Spectroscopy Mission, a potential successor to ESA's XMM-Newton X-ray observatory. These first 3 missions will be attached to the external platforms on the Columbus module on the International Space Station (ISS), while XEUS will visit the ISS to attach additional X-ray mirrors to enlarge the original 4.5 m diameter mirrors to the 10 m diameter required to observed redshifted iron lines from massive black holes in the early Universe.