Page "Gamma-ray burst" Paragraph 13

BeppoSAX functioned until 2002 and CGRO ( with BATSE ) was deorbited in 2000.

However, the revolution in the study of gamma-ray bursts motivated the development of a number of additional instruments designed specifically to explore the nature of GRBs, especially in the earliest moments following the explosion.

The first such mission, HETE-2, launched in 2000 and functioned until 2006, providing most of the major discoveries during this period.

One of the most successful space missions to date, Swift, was launched in 2004 and as of 2012 is still operational.

Swift is equipped with a very sensitive gamma ray detector as well as on-board X-ray and optical telescopes, which can be rapidly and automatically slewed to observe afterglow emission following a burst.

More recently, the Fermi mission was launched carrying the Gamma-Ray Burst Monitor, which detects bursts at a rate of several hundred per year, some of which are bright enough to be observed at extremely high energies with Fermi's Large Area Telescope.

Meanwhile, on the ground, numerous optical telescopes have been built or modified to incorporate robotic control software that responds immediately to signals sent through the Gamma-ray Burst Coordinates Network.

This allows the telescopes to rapidly repoint towards a GRB, often within seconds of receiving the signal and while the gamma-ray emission itself is still ongoing.