Unveiling the secrets of the hot and energetic Universe

Learn more

The X-ray Integral Field Unit (X-IFU)

The X-IFU is a revolutionary X-ray spectrometer, one of the two instruments of the European Space Agency’s future space telescope, Athena. It will observe with X-ray eyes, the hot and energetic Universe, a world of clusters of galaxies, black holes, and exploding stars.

Read more

Find out about this revolutionary instrument of ESA’s Athena mission

Latest News

Consortium meeting #16

The X-IFU Consortium meeting #16 will take place in Toulouse on June 19th-23rd in hybrid format. It will provide the […]

Read more

Happy Holidays & Happy New Year 2023!

2022 was a rather intense year for X-IFU with the unanticipated effects of the cost overrun of the Athena mission. […]

Read more

A virtual X-IFU Consortium Meeting #15

A New X-IFU has arrived! From 29 November to 1st December, 186 women and men gathered online for the 15th X-IFU Consortium […]

Read more

People of X-IFU

"By improving spectral and angular resolutions, with such a large effective area, Athena X-IFU will represent a major step for X-ray astronomy."

Jiri Svoboda

Astronomer at the Astronomic Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences

"When Athena X-IFU will be launched, we will see things humans never observed before."

Kazuhisa Mitsuda

Board member

"Once Athena X-IFU will be launched, observation of the sky will be taken to a whole new level. The instrument should be able to reveal the origin of the universe!"

Teresa Mineo

Physicist at INAF

Stay in the loop!

Get the Athena X-IFU newsletter