Back إنتغرال Arabic INTEGRAL (satelit) BS INTEGRAL (nau espacial) Catalan INTEGRAL Czech Integral (Satellit) German INTEGRAL Spanish انتگرال (ماهواره) Persian INTEGRAL Finnish International Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory French INTEGRAL (satélite) Galician

INTEGRAL

This article is about the satellite. For integrals in calculus, see Integral. For other uses, see INTEGRAL (disambiguation).
International Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory (INTEGRAL)
INTEGRAL 3D image
Artist's impression of the INTEGRAL spacecraft
Mission typeAstronomy
OperatorESA  / RKA  / NASA
COSPAR ID2002-048A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.27540
Websitesci.esa.int/integral/
Mission duration22 years, 3 months and 9 days elapsed
Spacecraft properties
ManufacturerAlenia Spazio
Launch mass~ 4,000 kg (8,800 lb)
Dry mass~ 3,450 kg (7,610 lb)
Payload mass~ 2,000 kg (4,400 lb)
Dimensions5 m × 2.8 m × 3.2 m (16.4 ft × 9.2 ft × 10.5 ft)
Start of mission
Launch date17 October 2002, 01:33 UTC (2002-10-17UTC01:33Z)[1]
RocketProton-K Blok DM2
Launch siteBaikonur Site 200/39
ContractorRoscosmos
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
RegimeHighly elliptical
Semi-major axis81,116 kilometres (50,403 mi)[2]
Perigee altitude1,911 kilometres (1,187 mi)[2]
Apogee altitude147,563 kilometres (91,691 mi)[2]
Inclination68.0 degrees[2]
Period3,832.0 minutes[2]
Epoch17 October 2021, 05:57:43 UTC[2]
Main telescope
TypeCoded mask telescope
Diameter3.7 metres (12 ft)
Focal length~ 4 metres (13 ft)
Collecting area500 cm2 (78 sq in) (SPI, JEM-X)
3,100 cm2 (480 sq in) (IBIS)
Wavelengths15 keV to 10 MeV (main)
3 to 35 keV (JEM-X)
500 to 580 nm (OMC)
INTEGRAL mission insignia
ESA astrophysics insignia for INTEGRAL
Animation of INTEGRAL spacecraft orbit trajectory
   Earth ·   INTEGRAL

The INTErnational Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory (INTEGRAL) is a space telescope for observing gamma rays of energies up to 8 MeV. It was launched by the European Space Agency (ESA) into Earth orbit in 2002, and is designed to provide imaging and spectroscopy of cosmic sources. In the MeV energy range, it is the most sensitive gamma ray observatory in space.[3] It is sensitive to higher energy photons than X-ray instruments such as NuSTAR, the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, XMM-Newton, and lower than other gamma-ray instruments such Fermi and HESS.

Photons in INTEGRAL's energy range are emitted by relativistic and supra-thermal[clarification needed] particles in violent sources, radioactivity from unstable isotopes produced during nucleosynthesis, X-ray binaries, and astronomical transients of all types, including gamma-ray bursts. The spacecraft's instruments have very wide fields of view, which is particularly useful for detecting gamma-ray emission from transient sources as they can continuously monitor large parts of the sky.

INTEGRAL is an ESA mission with additional contributions from European member states including Italy, France, Germany, and Spain. Cooperation partners are the Russian Space Agency with IKI (military CP Command Punkt KW) and NASA.

As of June 2023, INTEGRAL continues to operate despite the loss of its thrusters through the use of its reaction wheels and solar radiation pressure.[4][5]

  1. ^ "NASA - NSSDC - Spacecraft Details". NASA. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "INTEGRAL Satellite details 2002-048A NORAD 27540". N2YO. 17 October 2021. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
  3. ^ Teegarden, B. J.; Sturner, S. J. (April 1999). "INTEGRAL Observations of Gamma-Ray Bursts". American Astronomical Society, HEAD Meeting #4, #17.01; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society. 31: 717. Bibcode:1999HEAD....4.1701T.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference esa-20211018 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference integral-updates was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
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