Powerful bursts of gamma rays

Incredibly powerful bursts of gamma rays appear from any direction but last for just a matter of seconds or minutes, before fading away.

The task of Integral, ESA's International Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory, will be to gather some of the most energetic radiation that comes from space. The spacecraft is scheduled for launch in October 2002 and will help to solve some of the biggest mysteries in astronomy.