Fermi (gamma)
ActiveLaunched in 2008·Low Earth orbit
A gamma-ray observatory scanning the entire sky every three hours, from the most violent bursts to dark matter and pulsars.
Main objectives
- Continuously map the gamma-ray sky.
- Study pulsars, blazars and gamma-ray bursts.
- Search for dark-matter signatures.
Did you know?
Its main LAT instrument is a 3-tonne particle detector: it does not 'see' light but converts each gamma photon into an electron-positron pair.
Timeline
Jun 11, 2008
Launch
Delta II lift-off from Cape Canaveral (then named GLAST).
Aug 26, 2008
First light and renaming
Gamma-ray sky survey; renamed Fermi after Enrico Fermi.
Oct 16, 2017
GW170817
Gamma-ray detection of the neutron-star merger.
Jun 11, 2023
15 years of mapping
Over 15 years of continuous gamma-ray sky survey.
Fermi (gamma)
Instruments
[02]Specifications
Mass
Scan
Orbit
Discoveries
[01]Mission milestones
[01]- Milestone15 years of mappingJun 11, 2023