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XMM-Newton talks again loud and clear

23 October 2008

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XMM-Newton re-establishes communication with ESOC

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A relieved XMM-Newton mission control team at ESOC receives the long awaited radio signals from the spacecraft through NASA’s Goldstone ground station, in California, on 22 October 2008. Radio contact was previously lost on Saturday 18 October.

Credits: ESA

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High suspense in the Dedicated Control Room - The XMM control team at ESOC is anxiously waiting for the moment when they can try to send up telecommands to their satellite via the Goldstone antenna in California.
Previous efforts to re-establish a command path with the spacecraft had failed: The specialists at the European Space Operations Centre in Darmstadt know that the only chance to reach the satellite again is by means of a powerful ground station during close Earth proximity such as NASA's Deep Space Antenna in Goldstone. In fact, after three worrying days nominal contact with XMM is re-established at 16:10 UTC on October 22.
The video shows these thrilling moments.

Credits: ESA

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ESA XMM-Newton’s trail on the night-sky was seen by amateur astronomers using the Starkenburg observatory in Germany on 20 October 2008, after ESA lost communication contact with the spacecraft on 18 October 2008. These images showed that the satellite has not fragmented and that it is flying maintaining a constant attitude in its expected orbit.

Credits: Starkenburg observatory

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Dietmar Heger, XMM-Newton Deputy Spacecraft Operations Manager at ESOC, talks to the NASA Goldstone ground station, in California, during the recovery action that re-established communication with the spacecraft on 22 October 2008. Radio contact with XMM-Newton was previously lost on Saturday 18 October.

Credits: ESA

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