AGILE: A gamma-ray mission.

AGILE is an innovative, cost-effective gamma-ray mission selected by the Italian Space Agency for a Program of Small Scientific Missions. The AGILE gamma-ray imaging detector (GRID, made of a Silicon tracker and CsI Mini-Calorimeter) is designed to detect and image photons in the 30 MeV–50 GeV energy band with good sensitivity and very large field of view (FOV ∼3 sr). The X-ray detector, Super-AGILE, sensitive in the 10–40 keV band and integrated on top of the GRID gamma-ray tracker will provide imaging (1–3 arcmin) and moderate spectroscopy. For selected sky areas, AGILE might achieve a flux sensitivity (above 100 MeV) better than 5×10[sup -8] ph cm[sup 2] s[sup -1] at the completion of its scientific program. AGILE will operate as an Observatory open to the international community and is planned to be operational during the year 2002 for a nominal 2-year mission. It will be an ideal ‘bridge’ between EGRET and GLAST, and the only mission entirely dedicated to high-energy astrophysics above 30 MeV during that period. © 2000 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]