Watch: Built at Berkeley, bound for space –– to measure exploded stars
UC Berkeley’s Space Sciences Laboratory built COSI, a NASA-funded gamma-ray telescope set to launch next year to study supernova remnants and positron excess in the Milky Way.
Berkeley’s Space Sciences Laboratory constructed the Compton Spectrometer and Imager (COSI), a satellite funded by NASA and designed to study gamma rays from cosmic events. The mission, led by John Tomsick, aims to map gamma-ray emissions in the Milky Way to investigate the origin of chemical elements and the excess of positrons detected in space. Students at UC Berkeley are actively involved in building and testing the instruments, contributing to hands-on training in space science and engineering.
COSI is part of a long history of satellites and space missions developed at the Space Sciences Laboratory, which requires strict contamination controls such as bunny suits to protect sensitive optical systems. The satellite is scheduled to launch into Earth orbit next year, marking another milestone for Berkeley’s contributions to astrophysics and space exploration.
The COSI mission focuses on gamma rays, which are produced during supernova explosions as decaying elements emit high-energy photons. These gamma rays also result from positron-electron annihilation, a process that helps scientists study antimatter distribution in the galaxy and its role in cosmic evolution.
Undergraduate and graduate students play a significant role in COSI’s development, gaining practical experience through internships and fellowships at the Space Sciences Laboratory. This training prepares the next generation of scientists and engineers to advance future discoveries in space science and astrophysics.