Caption: This is the Athena space observatory flying. The mirror of the telescope is located upfront. The science payload is located at the opposite. The overall height of the spacecraft is about 15 meters, derived from the 12 meter focal length of the telescope.

Additional comments: This image was extracted from the 2019 X-IFU movie, which can be watched on the X-IFU YouTube channel.

Reference: ESA study team for the model of the spacecraft and X-IFU team for the image.

Creation date: 29/10/2019.

Credits: IRAP/CNRS/UT3/CNES/Fab&Fab.