Engineers at the University of California, Berkeley, successfully installed the detector assembly of the Compton Spectrometer and Imager (COSI) into its operational position on July 8, 2026. This milestone marks a significant step in the development of the wide-field gamma-ray telescope, which features flexible circuits designed to transmit signals from detectors to the readout electronics.
The COSI mission aims to observe energetic phenomena within the Milky Way and beyond. Its scientific objectives include studying the creation and annihilation of matter and antimatter, as well as monitoring the final stages of stellar life cycles.
The project is being developed by an international collaboration. Key participants include the Space Sciences Laboratory at UC Berkeley, UC San Diego, the US Naval Research Laboratory, and NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. Industrial and international partners such as Northrop Grumman, the Space Dynamics Laboratory, and the Italian Space Agency are also contributing to the mission.
