X-IFU consortium
X-IFU consortium
X-IFU is being developed by an international consortium. The two science leads are from France: the IRAP astrophysics and planetology research institute in Toulouse, as Principal Investigator (PI), and CNES, as instrument prime contractor. The consortium comprises some 300 engineers and research scientists from 12 countries: 11 ESA member states—Belgium, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Spain and Switzerland—and the United States.
There are 115 consortium members based in France, 59 in Italy and 31 in the Netherlands. CNES’s Toulouse Space Centre (CST) is responsible for directing work, checking conformance of deliverables and schedule control. A team of 20 annual full-time-equivalent staff is currently supporting this activity, with plans to up this number to 30 during future integration and phases.
Athena X-IFU is thus a major project for CNES, spanning a broad range of skills including systems engineering, system architecture, quality assurance, mechanical, thermal and electrical engineering, and integration. The project’s complexity calls for coordination of 11 teams—an exciting challenge and an opportunity to showcase CNES’s expertise to scientists all over the world.
