ESA title

The mission

Integral is the first space observatory to simultaneously observe objects in gamma rays, X-rays, and visible light. Its principal targets are 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
  • Orbit: highly elliptical around Earth
  • Observes: gamma rays, X-rays, visible light
  • Targets: gamma-ray bursts, black holes, supernovae
  • Mission end: 2029
Integral
Hubble's view of  the 'Cigar Galaxy' (M82)
Science & Exploration

Dead star lights up nearby galaxy 

24/04/2024 1235 views 18 likes
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Science & Exploration

Integral spots giant explosions feeding neutron star jets 

27/03/2024 2301 views 20 likes
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Science & Exploration

Blast from the past: gamma-ray burst strikes Earth from dis…

14/11/2023 24158 views 117 likes
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Integral's new safe mode rotates the spacecraft to face the Sun and continue charging
Enabling & Support

Safe at last

03/04/2023 4700 views 117 likes
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Integral
Enabling & Support

Three hours to save Integral

18/10/2021 60287 views 150 likes
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Integral
Enabling & Support

Rescuing Integral: No thrust? No problem

16/07/2021 22044 views 93 likes
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Artist's impression of radio bursting magnetar
Science & Exploration

Dead star emits never-before seen mix of radiation

28/07/2020 17351 views 121 likes
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A 'spitting' black hole
Science & Exploration

Scientists get to the bottom of a ‘spitting’ black hole

29/04/2019 14160 views 152 likes
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Supernova host galaxy
Science & Exploration

Team of telescopes finds X-ray engine inside mysterious sup…

10/01/2019 8681 views 142 likes
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Red giant and neutron star interaction
Science & Exploration

Donor star breathes life into zombie companion

05/03/2018 11510 views 141 likes
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Colliding neutron stars
Science & Exploration

Integral sees blast travelling with gravitational waves

16/10/2017 13830 views 153 likes
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Merging black holes
Science & Exploration

Integral sets limits on gamma rays from merging black holes

30/03/2016 6014 views 56 likes
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Gravitational lensing
Science & Exploration

Astronomers use cosmic gravity to create a ‘black-hole-scop…

06/07/2015 17197 views 114 likes
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Black hole with stellar companion
Science & Exploration

Monster black hole wakes up after 26 years

25/06/2015 47466 views 184 likes
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Integral: gamma-ray observatory
Enabling & Support

Integral manoeuvres for the future

23/01/2015 9304 views 80 likes
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Supernova explosion
Science & Exploration

Integral catches dead star exploding in a blaze of glory

27/08/2014 14080 views 86 likes
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Science & Exploration

Missing link found between X-ray and radio pulsars

25/09/2013 10312 views 78 likes
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Science & Exploration

Black hole wakes up and has a light snack

02/04/2013 54822 views 98 likes
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Supernova remnant 1987A
Science & Exploration

Radioactive decay of titanium powers supernova remnant

18/10/2012 7056 views 10 likes
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Agency

Explore the high-energy Universe - competition results

31/05/2012 9692 views 5 likes
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Gamma-ray burst
Science & Exploration

Integral challenges physics beyond Einstein

30/06/2011 13350 views 37 likes
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The galactic centre
Science & Exploration

Integral disproves dark matter origin for mystery radiation

22/07/2009 2080 views 2 likes
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Illustration of a magnetar
Science & Exploration

Giant eruption reveals 'dead' star

16/06/2009 3574 views 6 likes
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Science & Exploration

Be an Integral astronomer - competition

20/04/2009 1325 views 3 likes
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A gamma-ray burst
Science & Exploration

Dissecting a stellar explosion

03/04/2009 1503 views 1 likes
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Science & Exploration

Around the world in 80 telescopes at ESA

30/03/2009 1262 views 0 likes
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Artist’s impression of a magnetar
Science & Exploration

XMM-Newton and Integral clues on magnetic powerhouses

14/11/2008 1936 views 0 likes
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Artist's impression of a gamma-ray burst
Science & Exploration

Faint gamma-ray bursts do actually exist

13/10/2008 2335 views 1 likes
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High-energy polarised emission from Crab Nebula
Science & Exploration

Integral locates origin of high-energy emission from Crab N…

29/08/2008 1913 views 1 likes
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Science & Exploration

Astronomers may have glimpsed tiny star’s surface

17/06/2008 683 views 0 likes
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Science & Exploration

Integral reveals exotic and dusty binary systems

05/06/2008 1546 views 1 likes
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Colliding-wind binary
Science & Exploration

Integral: Stellar winds colliding at our cosmic doorstep

20/02/2008 2149 views 0 likes
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Shockwave travelling through galaxy cluster
Science & Exploration

X-rays betray giant particle accelerator in the sky

24/01/2008 2015 views 5 likes
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Integral, artist’s impression
Science & Exploration

Integral discovers the galaxy’s antimatter cloud is lopsided

09/01/2008 4980 views 5 likes
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Integral’s hard-X-ray map of  bright AGNs
Science & Exploration

Understanding our neighbourhood in the universe

17/12/2007 1767 views 0 likes
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Artist's view of Integral
Science & Exploration

Extension of ESA’s Integral and XMM-Newton missions approved

14/11/2007 1981 views 0 likes
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The soft gamma-ray sky
Science & Exploration

New scientific riches from Integral

07/11/2007 959 views 1 likes
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Densest objects seen by Integral
Science & Exploration

Science with Integral – five years on

17/10/2007 1271 views 0 likes
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Artist's impression of a blazar
Science & Exploration

Gamma-ray lighthouse at the edge of our universe

03/10/2007 2680 views 2 likes
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Tracing massive stars in the Galaxy
Science & Exploration

Radioactive iron, a window to the stars

25/06/2007 6581 views 8 likes
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The third Integral/IBIS survey catalogue
Science & Exploration

Integral expands our view of the gamma-ray sky

20/02/2007 1916 views 0 likes
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Fast-spinning neutron star
Science & Exploration

Integral points to the fastest spinning neutron star

16/02/2007 4595 views 7 likes
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Integral’s monitoring of the Galactic Centre
Science & Exploration

Integral sees the Galactic centre playing hide and seek

18/01/2007 1957 views 0 likes
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Integral’s view of X-ray nova IGR J17497-2821
Science & Exploration

Integral catches a new erupting black hole

27/11/2006 3106 views 3 likes
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Integral's black hole census
Science & Exploration

ESA steps towards a great black hole census

07/09/2006 2263 views 0 likes
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Dust torus around a supermassive black hole
Science & Exploration

Where are the supermassive black holes hiding?

26/07/2006 3286 views 2 likes
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Integral's imager can see around corner
Science & Exploration

Integral sees a GRB out of the corner of its eye

16/06/2006 1390 views 1 likes
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Artist's view of an anomalous X-ray pulsar as seen by Integral
Science & Exploration

Integral catches stellar 'corpses' by the tail

16/03/2006 1693 views 0 likes
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Integral flight control team during manoeuvres
Science & Exploration

Exceptional manoeuvres enable unique Integral science

10/02/2006 719 views 0 likes
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Using Earth as a shield
Science & Exploration

Integral looks at Earth to seek source of cosmic radiation

10/02/2006 1246 views 1 likes
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