Athena as an observatory in the late 2020s

Abstract

The scientific goals of Athena, as formulated under the Hot and Energetic Universe theme, have been conceived to address key aspects of astrophysics in the late 2020s. In addition, Athena will be able toaddress a number of other goals - dubbed observatory science - whichwill pervade virtually all corners of astrophysics. On the other hand,the synergies -discussed in this conference- that Athena shoulddevelop with other contemporary facilities like ALMA, E-ELT, JWST,Euclid, CTA and SKA, will greatly enhance the observatory dimension of Athena. In this presentation, I will highlight the role of Athena as an essential tool in European Astronomy at the late 2020s, beyond itsown scientific objectives.