Integral’s Mission Success: ESA’s Groundbreaking Gamma-Ray Telescope Achieves New Milestones

Overview

Today marks the end of an era as the European Space Agency’s gamma-ray telescope, Integral, completes its observations after 22 remarkable years in space. This high-energy observatory has changed how we understand the universe, particularly in studying cosmic events like gamma-ray bursts and gravitational waves. Integral has also helped us learn about powerful thermonuclear explosions on neutron stars and captured a massive flare from a distant magnetar.

The Journey of Integral

Launched on October 17, 2002, from Kazakhstan, Integral was designed to explore the most extreme regions of space. “Integral has repeatedly shown us the importance of observing the sky in gamma-ray light,” said Jan-Uwe Ness, ESA’s Integral Project Scientist. Unlike visible light, gamma rays can’t be seen from Earth because our atmosphere blocks them.

“Integral has revolutionized our knowledge of the high-energy universe and how physics works under extreme conditions,” added Prof. Carole Mundell, ESA Director of Science. The durability and performance of Integral reflect the quality of technology developed by the European scientific community.

Unraveling Cosmic Mysteries

Integral’s work has been essential in understanding gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), which are intense flashes of light occurring about once daily. These bursts can outshine all other gamma-ray sources combined. Scientists now tie longer GRBs to the collapse of massive stars and shorter bursts to collisions between neutron stars and black holes.

Jan-Uwe noted, “Integral has made unexpected discoveries, like tracking sources of gravitational waves and ultrahigh-energy neutrinos.” This was groundbreaking, considering the first direct detection of gravitational waves was made only 13 years after Integral’s launch.

Recent Discoveries

In recent years, Integral has delivered groundbreaking findings, including the most powerful gamma-ray flash ever recorded, which even affected Earth’s ozone layer. This event happened nearly two billion light-years away, demonstrating how far cosmic events can influence us.

Two other significant discoveries involved a rare 0.1-second burst from a magnetar, releasing energy equivalent to what our Sun produces in half a million years, and finding that nuclear explosions on neutron stars power jets extending into space.

Advanced Instruments

Integral was the most advanced gamma-ray observatory at its launch and the first to view celestial objects in gamma rays, X-rays, and visible light simultaneously. Its large field-of-view, detailed imaging, and monitoring abilities have made many discoveries possible.

Conclusion of the Mission

After completing 2886 orbits around Earth and two decades of observations, Integral will no longer collect data as of today. However, the data gathered will continue to benefit scientists for years to come. It will be stored in the Integral Science Legacy Archive, aiding future research and inspiring new astronomers and engineers.

Even after ending its scientific mission, Integral will keep orbiting Earth for four more years. Engineers will oversee the satellite until it re-enters the atmosphere in early 2029, following a careful plan to minimize space debris.