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. 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.
Artist's impression of the INTEGRAL spacecraft | |||||||||||||||
| Mission type | Astronomy | ||||||||||||||
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| Operator | ESA / RKA / NASA | ||||||||||||||
| COSPAR ID | 2002-048A | ||||||||||||||
| SATCAT no. | 27540 | ||||||||||||||
| Website | sci | ||||||||||||||
| Mission duration | 21 years, 3 months and 15 days elapsed | ||||||||||||||
| Spacecraft properties | |||||||||||||||
| Manufacturer | Alenia 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) | ||||||||||||||
| Dimensions | 5 m × 2.8 m × 3.2 m (16.4 ft × 9.2 ft × 10.5 ft) | ||||||||||||||
| Start of mission | |||||||||||||||
| Launch date | 17 October 2002, 01:33 UTC | ||||||||||||||
| Rocket | Proton-K Blok-DM2 | ||||||||||||||
| Launch site | Baikonur 200/39 | ||||||||||||||
| Contractor | Roscosmos | ||||||||||||||
| Orbital parameters | |||||||||||||||
| Reference system | Geocentric | ||||||||||||||
| Regime | Highly elliptical | ||||||||||||||
| Semi-major axis | 81,116 kilometres (50,403 mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Perigee altitude | 1,911 kilometres (1,187 mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Apogee altitude | 147,563 kilometres (91,691 mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Inclination | 68.0 degrees | ||||||||||||||
| Period | 3,832.0 minutes | ||||||||||||||
| Epoch | 17 October 2021, 05:57:43 UTC | ||||||||||||||
| Main telescope | |||||||||||||||
| Type | Coded mask telescope | ||||||||||||||
| Diameter | 3.7 metres (12 ft) | ||||||||||||||
| Focal length | ~ 4 metres (13 ft) | ||||||||||||||
| Collecting area | 500 cm2 (78 sq in) (SPI, JEM-X) 3,100 cm2 (480 sq in) (IBIS) | ||||||||||||||
| Wavelengths | 15 keV to 10 MeV (main) 3 to 35 keV (JEM-X) 500 to 580 nm (OMC) | ||||||||||||||
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ESA astrophysics insignia for INTEGRAL | |||||||||||||||
Photons in INTEGRAL's energy range are emitted by relativistic and supra-thermal 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 Comand 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.