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AGILE has completed on July 3, 2007 its 1,000th orbit and it is completing the Commissioning phase.
Several AGILE preliminary results were presented on Jul. 2, 2007 at an ASI-ESRIN meeting on Gamma-Ray Astrophysics in Italy. |
The satellite is currently in the Commissioning Phase. (planned to end on June 30, 2007).
All instrument detectors are working nominally.
The instrument is now thermally stabilized (May 21, 2007).
The Team is currently carrying out of a study of the background.
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The AGILE satellite orbit is equatorial
(height: 540 km, inclination angle: 2.5 degrees) |
AGILE, acronym for Astrorivelatore Gamma a lmmagini Leggero, is a 350 kg satellite dedicated to high-energy astrophysics.
Its main goal is the simultaneous detection of hard X-ray and gamma-ray cosmic radiation in the energy bands 15-60 keV and 30 MeV - 50 GeV with optimal imaging and timing.
The AGILE Mission is funded and managed by the Italian Space Agency (ASI), with programmatic and scientific co-participation by the Italian lnstitute of Astrophysics (INAF), the Italian Institute of Nuclear Physics (INFN), the Italian Research Council (CNR), and several universities and research centers including ENEA, and CIFS, Marco Tavani is the principal Investigator, and Guido Barbellini the co-Principal Investigator. The industrial contractors are Carlo Gavazzi Space (CGS), Oerlikon-Contraves (OCl), Alcatel-Alenia Space Italia (AAS-I Laben), Telespazio, Galileo Avionica, Intecs and Mipot.
AGILE's scientific goals include the study of
• Active Galactic Nuclei and clusters of galaxies • Gamma-Ray Bursts • Pulsars • Unidentified gamma-ray sources • Galactic Black Holes, Microquasars, accreting neutron stars • Supernova Remnants • TeV sources • Gamma-ray diffuse emission • The massive Black Hole at the Galactic Center • Fundamental Physics
The AGILE scientific instrument is extremely compact (about 1/4 metercube) and yet it contains three highly sophisticated detectors. |
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A segmented Anticoincidence plastic shield surrounds all active detectors.
A very compact coded-mask hard X-ray imager (sensitive in the 15-60 keV range) is positioned on top.
The instrument core is the Silicon Tracker aimed at the imaging of gamma-rays in the band 30 MeV - 50 GeV. Below it is the Mini-Calorimeter sensitive in the energy band 0.4-100 MeV. |
The AGILE instrument is the most compact gamma-ray telescope ever developed. It is aimed at obtaining simultaneous hard X-ray and gamma-ray data from cosmic sources. The instrument is the result of a joint collaboration among the AGILE scientific Team, AAS-l Laben, OCI, and Mipot. |
A tipical gamma-ray event detected by the AGILE Silicon Tracker during the pre-launch tests. This picture provides the electron/positron tracks reconstructed in the X- and Y- projections (green, yellow and blue symbols) as well as a 3- dimensional representation of the event. |
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The satellite is based on the ASI MITA platform developed by CGS/OCI and modified to meet the AGILE Mission requirements. It provides a 3-axis attitude stabilization with an intrinsic pointing accuracy within 1 degree, and repointing capability within 12-24 hours. Two Star Trackers ensure the satellite attitude reconstruction within 2 arcminutes. Two S-band antennas transmit scientific data with a downlink rate of 500 kbit/sec. An on-board transceiver can transmit GRB coordinates within 1-3 minutes. The AGILE solar panels are equipped with high-efficiency triple-junction GaAs solar cells and provide about 400 W of power.
The AGILE satellite platform was designed and manufactured by CGS and OCI. Solar panels were manufactured by OCI and Galileo Avionica-Milano. The AGILE satellite was integrated and tested by CGS supported by industrial and scientific partners. |
The AGILE satellite integrated on the fourth stage of the PSLV rocket (April 15, 2007)
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