INTEGRAL stands for INTErnational Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory.

The International Space Agency’s (ESA) Integral space observatory has been orbiting Earth for 15 years, observing the ever-changing cosmos in gamma rays, X-rays and visible light. Studying stars exploding as supernovas, monster black holes and, more recently, even gamma-rays that were associated with gravitational waves, Integral continues to broaden our understanding of the high-energy Universe.

This video visualises the orbits of the spacecraft since its launch on 17 October 2002, until October 2017.

Produced for ESA Science in collaboration with our partners at EJR-Quartz.