ATHENA

Advanced Telescope for High Energy Astrophysics

At the June 2014 meeting of ESAs Science Programme Committe, Athena was selected as the mission for the 2nd Large mission opportunity, satisfying the Cosmic Vision theme the "Hot and Energetic Universe". After 8 years of Phase A and Phase B1, the meeting of the ESA Science Program Commitee in June 2022 deliberated that Athena will not be adopted, because the estimated Cost-at-Completion to ESA exceeds the budget allocated for an L-class mission. The observatory addressing the "Hot and Energetic Universe" science case is therefore undergoing a design-to-cost exercise, aiming at defining a mission profile consistent with a strict cost cap while preserving the flagship nature of the mission.

Links on the left provide

• More details on the mission proposed by the high-energy astrophysics community,
• Links to the Science Study Team, the Science Redefinition Team and their activities
• Information for scientists interested in the scientific performance of the mission (with links to original resources whenever appropriate)

 For more information on the Athena community, we encourage visiting the site of the Athena Community Office.