Relevant part of a posting by Ron Baalke is below. Sounds like Chandra #2 ... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- European Space Agency Press Information Note Nr. 19-99 Paris, France 22 November 1999 [...text deleted...] ESA's X-ray Multi Mirror mission -- XMM -- is the second Cornerstone in ESA's Long Term Scientific Programme (*). This new X-ray space telescope [...text deleted...] A high-flying mission The XMM spacecraft, the largest science satellite ever built in Europe, is due to be launched in December 1999 by an Ariane-5 from the European Spaceport in Kourou. After being released by the launcher, XMM will be placed in a highly eccentric 48-hour orbit, rising to a distance of 114,000 km from the Earth, then returning to within 7,000 km of our planet. This orbit has been chosen for several reasons. It offers an optimal contact between ground tracking stations and the satellite; it will allow the satellite to pass rapidly through the Earth's radiation belts which could harm its delicate science instruments; and above all it will offer astronomers the longest possible observation periods. [...text deleted...] Further information on XMM and the ESA Science Programme can be found on the Worldwide Web at: http://www.sci.esa.int/ . See in particular (*) : http://sci.esa.int/categories/scienceprograms/ and click << Horizon 2000 >> on the left-hand bar. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe from SeeSat-L by sending a message with 'unsubscribe' in the SUBJECT to SeeSat-L-request@lists.satellite.eu.org http://www2.satellite.eu.org/seesat/seesatindex.html