EUROPE'S X-RAY SATELLITE FLYING HIGH.

• Position: Brief Article

The European Space Agency's new X-ray space telescope has reached operational orbit, a week after its successful launch from Kourou on 10 December 1999, the ESA has reported. The XMM spacecraft was manoeuvred to its final orbit on 16 December, requiring four firings of its thrusters to increase the velocity. It is now circling the earth with a highly eliptical orbit once every 48 hours, whilst monitored by teams in Perth, Kourou and Villafrance. The satellite appears to be responding well. "XMM is flying so beautifully", Manager of XMM Spacecraft Operations, Dietmar Heger...