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We have proposed the development of X-ray interferometry (XRI) as part of ESA's Voyage 2050 programme, to reveal the universe at high energies with ultra-high spatial resolution. With only a 1 m baseline, which could be accommodated on a single spacecraft, XRI can reach 100 µas resolution at 10 Å (1.2 keV) and exceed that of the Event Horizon Telescope at 2 Å (6 keV). A multi-spacecraft ‘constellation’ interferometer would resolve well below 1 µas. Here we present a roadmap towards a compact X-ray interferometer, both in a single-spacecraft and formation-flying formats. These revolutionary observatories will enable detailed imaging-spectroscopy of: stellar coronae and transiting exoplanets within ~100 pc, direct observation of X-ray binary orbits, supermassive black hole accretion flows and event horizons, and imaging of luminous transients and binary supermassive black holes across the observable universe.
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