Speaker
Description
ESA’s X-ray flagship the XMM-Newton space observatory is soon entering it’s third decade of operations.
Both the spacecraft and the payload are operating without major degradation and scientific
demand is continuously very high. Changing the on board Attitude and Orbit Control System Software in 2013 we managed to reduce the fuel consumption by a factor of two, additionally reducing stress on the reaction wheels. Currently the Flight Control team is preparing a new thermal operations strategy of the tank system to ensure that the saved fuel is available for continuous usage.
We will describe the status of implementation of the so called "fuel migration and replenishment" activities and make predictions how to operate the spacecraft with this concept potentially up to 2030+.
Furthermore we describe the overall health status of the mission, the need for evolution of the ground segment and concepts on streamlining mission operations with continued high safety requirements using automation tools to keep the science return at the highest possible levels.
| Affiliation | ESA/ESOC |
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