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| CALET | |
|---|---|
| Name | CALET |
| Mission type | Astroparticle physics, Gamma-ray astronomy, Cosmic-ray physics |
| Operator | Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Agenzia Spaziale Italiana, NASA |
| Mission duration | Ongoing |
| Launch date | 2015-08-19 |
| Launch vehicle | H-IIA |
| Launch site | Tanegashima Space Center |
| Orbit reference | Low Earth orbit, attached to International Space Station |
| Programme | International Space Station payloads |
CALET
CALET is a spaceborne high-energy particle detector mounted on the International Space Station designed to measure cosmic-ray electrons, gamma rays, and nuclei. Developed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency with international partners including Agenzia Spaziale Italiana and NASA, the instrument extends observations made by missions such as AMS-02, Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, and PAMELA. CALET complements ground-based observatories like Super-Kamiokande and IceCube by providing precision measurements in the GeV–TeV range.
CALET (Calorimetric Electron Telescope) is a calorimeter-based payload installed on the JEM Exposed Facility of the Kibo module on the International Space Station following launch on an H-IIA rocket from Tanegashima Space Center. The project involves collaborations among institutions including the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Waseda University, Università di Napoli Federico II, University of Maryland, University of Tokyo, The University of Tokyo, Osaka University, and Rutherford Appleton Laboratory. Designed for long-duration exposure, CALET targets high-energy phenomena previously explored by experiments such as AMS-01, ATIC, CREAM, and HEAO-3.
The instrument architecture integrates a charge detector, imaging calorimeter, and total absorption calorimeter to provide particle identification and energy measurement. The Charge Detector (CHD) employs segmented plastic scintillators with readout electronics developed at institutions including KEK and JAXA laboratories. The Imaging Calorimeter (IMC) uses tungsten plates and scintillating fibers similar in concept to detectors on AGILE and EGRET, while the Total Absorption Calorimeter (TASC) uses lead tungstate crystals drawing heritage from technologies used in FERMI LAT calorimetry and CALorimetric Electron Telescope prototype studies. Onboard data handling and power systems were integrated with guidance from Johnson Space Center and flight operations were coordinated with the NASA Glenn Research Center. Thermal control and structural design leveraged expertise from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, IHI Corporation, and Japan Marine Science and Technology Center partners.
Primary objectives include precision measurement of electron plus positron spectra up to multi-TeV energies, search for spectral features indicative of nearby sources such as Vela or Geminga, and indirect searches for dark matter signatures analogous to efforts by Fermi-LAT and AMS-02. Secondary goals encompass measurement of cosmic-ray nuclei abundances (protons, helium, heavier nuclei) to constrain models like GALPROP and propagation scenarios discussed in studies from Pierre Auger Observatory and Telescope Array Project. CALET also performs gamma-ray transient monitoring to complement observations by Swift, INTEGRAL, and H.E.S.S. and to support multi-messenger alerts with facilities such as LIGO Scientific Collaboration, Virgo Collaboration, and IceCube Neutrino Observatory.
CALET was delivered to the International Space Station by the sixth H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV-5) and installed on the Exposed Facility of Kibo in August 2015. Mission operations have been managed jointly by JAXA mission control, the ASDC-style science operations centers, and international data analysis teams at institutions including INFN, CNRS, Columbia University, and Stanford University. Routine calibrations referenced results from accelerator test beams at facilities such as CERN SPS, KEK Proton Synchrotron, and GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research. Data processing pipelines integrate software tools and analysis frameworks used in collaborations with HEASARC-compatible formats and archival policies similar to those employed by ESA missions.
CALET has produced high-precision measurements of the all-electron spectrum, reporting results that probe spectral features discussed in the context of nearby pulsar contributions and dark matter interpretations proposed by analyses from AMS-02 and Fermi. Publications from CALET teams, including coauthors from University of Geneva, University of California, Berkeley, Kyoto University, and Tohoku University, have constrained models of cosmic-ray propagation and source spectra building on work from KASCADE-Grande, ATIC, and CREAM. CALET observations of gamma-ray transients and upper limits on anisotropy complement findings from VERITAS, MAGIC, CTA Consortium, and Milagro. Results have been presented at conferences including sessions of the American Physical Society and the International Cosmic Ray Conference.
The CALET collaboration comprises universities and research institutes across Japan, Italy, the United States, and Europe, including University of Rome La Sapienza, INFN Bologna, Sapienza University of Rome, University of Trieste, Riken, Tohoku University, University of Wisconsin–Madison, and Caltech. Ground support relies on facilities such as Tanegashima Space Center, Tsukuba Space Center, Kennedy Space Center logistics, and analysis centers at NAOJ and JAXA. International coordination involves data sharing agreements with teams from NASA, ESA, INAF, and national funding agencies like JSPS and MIUR.
CALET's continuing dataset will inform next-generation missions and observatories, influencing instrument designs for projects like HERD, future CTA arrays, and proposed satellite concepts from collaborations involving ESA and NASA. The legacy of CALET includes calibration databases, analysis pipelines, and cross-mission comparisons with legacy datasets from Voyager 1, Pioneer 10, and balloon experiments such as BESS and TRACER. As CALET operations proceed, its measurements remain vital for theoretical work at institutions including Princeton University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and University of Chicago on high-energy astrophysics, particle acceleration, and indirect dark matter searches.
Category:Spacecraft instruments Category:Astroparticle physics experiments