ESA - Integral - Archive

ESA title

The mission

Integral was the first space observatory to simultaneously observe objects in gamma rays, X-rays, and visible light. Its principal targets were violent explosions known as gamma-ray bursts, powerful phenomena such as supernova explosions, and regions in the Universe thought to contain black holes.

Launch: 17 October 2002
Mission end: 28 February 2025
Orbit: highly elliptical around Earth
Observed: gamma rays, X-rays, visible light
Targets: gamma-ray bursts, black holes, supernovae

5 metres high
4 tonnes
4 scientific instruments
2 decades of operation

Integral

Using Earth as a shield

Science & Exploration

Integral looks at Earth to seek source of cosmic radiation

10/02/2006 1561 views 1 likes

Radioactive decay as measured by Integral from Al 26 decay, and the signature of galactic rotation.

Science & Exploration

Integral identifies supernova rate for Milky Way

04/01/2006 6104 views 4 likes

Integral views annihilation in our galaxy

Science & Exploration

ESA’s Integral and XMM-Newton missions extended

05/12/2005 2413 views 0 likes

Artist's impression of a 'supergiant fast X-ray transient'

Science & Exploration

Integral reveals new class of ‘supergiant’ X-ray binary sta…

16/11/2005 2953 views 1 likes

Artist's view of Integral

Science & Exploration

Integral: three years of insight into the violent cosmos

17/10/2005 1556 views 1 likes

Artist's impression of a pulsar 'eating' a companion star

Science & Exploration

Star eats companion

06/09/2005 8270 views 7 likes

Artist's impression of neutron star IGR J16283-4838

Science & Exploration

Three satellites needed to bring out ‘shy star’

13/07/2005 2761 views 3 likes

Science & Exploration

Integral rolls back history of Milky Way's super-massive bl…

28/01/2005 5580 views 12 likes

Science & Exploration

Integral rolls back history of Milky Way's super-massive bl…

26/01/2005 776 views 3 likes

An artist's impression of the Integral spacecraft

Science & Exploration

ESA's Integral detects closest cosmic gamma-ray burst

05/08/2004 4533 views 0 likes

ESA's Integral solves thirty-year old gamma-ray mystery

Science & Exploration

ESA's Integral solves thirty-year old gamma-ray mystery

17/03/2004 2663 views 3 likes

An artist's impression of the Integral spacecraft

Science & Exploration

ESA’s ‘rapid reaction force’

28/01/2004 1518 views 0 likes

EPIC camera shows the expanding rings caused by a flash of X-rays

Science & Exploration

X-ray shout echoing through space

27/01/2004 1738 views 0 likes

A portion of Integral's gamma-ray map of the galaxy

Science & Exploration

ESA's new view of the Milky Way - in gamma rays!

11/11/2003 2486 views 2 likes

An artist's impression of the mechanisms in an interacting binary system

Science & Exploration

ESA's Integral discovers hidden black holes

20/10/2003 3289 views 2 likes

Russian proton launcher takes off

Science & Exploration

Happy birthday, Integral!

15/10/2003 785 views 0 likes

Artist's impression of a gamma-ray burst

Science & Exploration

A gamma-ray burst bonanza

24/03/2003 2618 views 11 likes

Integral's gamma-ray eyes getting ready

Science & Exploration

ESA presents Integral's first images

11/12/2002 914 views 0 likes

Integral's gamma-ray eyes getting ready

Science & Exploration

Everyone wants gamma-ray eyes!

29/10/2002 1039 views 0 likes

Integral's eccentric orbit

Science & Exploration

Integral makes its first measurements

24/10/2002 559 views 0 likes

Integral launch

Science & Exploration

Europe opens a window onto a violent Universe

17/10/2002 950 views 0 likes

Integral launch

Science & Exploration

Integral launch status reports

17/10/2002 1255 views 1 likes

View of the Russian side of the bunker

Science & Exploration

15 October 2002

15/10/2002 1006 views 0 likes

Proton being moving into the vertical position

Science & Exploration

15 October 2002

15/10/2002 621 views 1 likes

Proton rocket on the launch pad

Science & Exploration

ESA's Integral satellite ready for liftoff from Baikonur

15/10/2002 487 views 1 likes

The MMS in operation at Mar del Plata, Argentina

Science & Exploration

14 October 2002

14/10/2002 692 views 0 likes

12.10.02 Proton moving into the vertical position

Science & Exploration

12 October

14/10/2002 808 views 0 likes

ESOC Main Control Room

Science & Exploration

8 - 10 October

11/10/2002 856 views 0 likes

10.10.02 Mating of the Space Head Unit with the first three stages of the Proton

Science & Exploration

10 October - Rollout of the Space Head Unit

10/10/2002 261 views 0 likes

Sputnik 1

Science & Exploration

30 September - 4 October

09/10/2002 1353 views 0 likes

Proton rocket on the launch pad

Science & Exploration

ESA's Integral satellite ready for liftoff from Baikonur

07/10/2002 1318 views 0 likes

29.09.02 Children in Baikonur smile for the camera

Science & Exploration

22 - 29 September

04/10/2002 751 views 0 likes

Integral

Science & Exploration

Integral – tracking extreme radiation across the Universe

02/10/2002 2207 views 1 likes

24.09.02 The separation system being lowered on top of the Proton adaptor

Science & Exploration

24 September - Start of combined operations

24/09/2002 178 views 0 likes

Trying on an emergency hood

Science & Exploration

22 September - Safety first

24/09/2002 272 views 0 likes

The Integral Payload Modules

Science & Exploration

1 September - Mating completed

23/09/2002 207 views 0 likes

All smiles now testing successfully completed

Science & Exploration

19 September - Functional tests completed

23/09/2002 183 views 0 likes

20.09.02 Close-up of the Proton fairing

Science & Exploration

20 September - Proton preparations on track

23/09/2002 263 views 0 likes

The core fueling team

Science & Exploration

1 - 21 September

23/09/2002 1164 views 0 likes

The Integral satellite safely arrives in Baikonur

Science & Exploration

17 - 30 August

30/08/2002 863 views 0 likes

An artist's impression of a Philosopher's Stone

Science & Exploration

Space delivers the Philosopher's Stone

12/07/2002 3000 views 2 likes

An artist's impression of the Integral spacecraft

Science & Exploration

ESA Science Media Day: Rosetta and Integral getting ready …

07/06/2002 986 views 0 likes

ESA's gamma-ray detecting spacecraft Integral in the Large Space Simulator

Science & Exploration

Extreme machine simulates space conditions

07/05/2002 4086 views 18 likes

An artist's impression of the Integral spacecraft

Science & Exploration

Integral Science Data Centre to be presented to the press

27/03/2002 970 views 0 likes

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