PAMELA detector
| Organization | PAMELA group |
|---|---|
| Mission Type | Cosmic Ray |
| Host Satellite | Resurs DK1 |
| Launch | 15 June 2006 |
| Launch vehicle | Soyuz-FG |
| Launch site | Baikonur Cosmodrome |
| Mission duration | 3 years (planned), 9 years, 7 months and 23 days (achieved) |
| Mission end | 7 February 2016 |
| Mass | 470 kg |
| Max length | 1300 mm |
| Power consumption | 335 Watts |
| Webpage | PAMELA homepage |
| Orbital elements (Resurs DK1) | |
| Inclination | 70 degrees |
| Orbit | quasi-polar elliptical |
| Min altitude | 360 km |
| Max altitude | 604 km |
| Period | 94.02 min |
PAMELA (Payload for Antimatter Matter Exploration and Light-nuclei Astrophysics) was a cosmic ray research module attached to an Earth orbiting satellite. PAMELA was launched on 15 June 2006 and was the first satellite-based experiment dedicated to the detection of cosmic rays, with a particular focus on their antimatter component, in the form of positrons and antiprotons. Other objectives included long-term monitoring of the solar modulation of cosmic rays, measurements of energetic particles from the Sun, high-energy particles in Earth's magnetosphere and Jovian electrons. It was also hoped that it may detect evidence of dark matter annihilation. PAMELA operations were terminated in 2016, as were the operations of the host-satellite Resurs-DK1. The experiment was a recognized CERN experiment (RE2B).