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23 SEP. 2002
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The Proton team is completing the assembly of the launcher while the fuelling team is busy with final readiness checks prior to fuelling the satellite.
Activities take place in three buildings:
in the Technical Complex, building 92A-50, the fairing is being assembled onto the integration rig
in the main Proton integration hall in building 92-1, assembly of the three first stages is being completed
in the Energia building, the block DM upper stage is in its final stages of preparation and will be fuelled soon
Integral will be mated to the upper stage in the main Protol integration hall. First it will be mated to the Proton adapter then lifted above the upper stage in the vertical position. Then the whole assembly (Integral and upper stage) will be tilted to the horizontal position for encapsulation into the fairing.
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Integral overview
Name: Integral (International Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory)Status: Completed (launched on 17 October 2002, stopped collecting scientific data on 28 February 2025)Mission theme: Tracking violent events across the Universe
Integral science highlights
The International Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory (Integral) has provided unprecedented information about the Universe’s most exotic objects. It has revealed how matter behaves under extreme conditions and helped astronomers understand processes such as the formation of new chemical elements and mysterious gamma-ray bursts. These findings have been documented in an impressive, and growing, body of scientific and popular literature.
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Introducing our man in Baikonur
Philippe Sivac, responsible at ESA for Integral environmental testing, is even busier than usual as he has agreed to keep ESA Web Portal visitors posted on events at the Russian spaceport of Baikonur, in the run up to the Integral launch on Thursday, 17 October.
Launch Countdown rehearsal completed
The launch countdown rehearsal of Integral took place on 14 October. A two-day slot had been allocated for this, in case of problems, but the rehearsal went very smoothly and all activities, including battery recharging were completed by 17:00 local time on 14 October.
Proton ready on the pad
Proton, with Integral safely tucked away inside, is now on the launch pad ready for today's rehearsal of the launch countdown. After years of preparation everything is almost ready for Thursday’s launch.
Mobile Measurement Station ready
As staff from all over the world get ready for the launch, a small team made up of Eliseo Balaguer and Energia engineers are making the final preparations for the Mobile Measurement Station (MMS) in Argentina.
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