The PAMELA experiment

The PAMELA telescope will be installed on board of the Resurs-Arktika satellite (VNIIEM) and the launch is foreseen in 2002. The satellite will fly for at least 3 years in a polar orbit at about 700 km of altitude.The main goals of the PAMELA experiment are the measurement of the antiproton and positron fluxes in cosmic rays, with large statistics in an energy range between 100 MeV and 150 GeV, and the search for antinuclei, up to 30 GeV/n, with a sensitivity better than 10 in the He/He ratio. PAMELA will also study phenomena connected with Solar and Earth physics. The PAMELA telescope consists of a magnetic spectrometer, a TRD detector, an imaging electromagnetic calorimeter and a TOF system including anticoincidence detectors.