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The PAMELA experiment consists of several subdetectors, each providing an independent measurement of the incident particles. Table 1 summarises the design goals for PAMELA performance. Other scientific objectives include the study of solar physics (low-energy particles), of high-energy electrons up to few TeV and of light nuclei (up to Z = 6). Detailed measurements of the antiproton and positron energy spectra will provide valuable information on cosmic-ray propagation and solar modulation, such as charge dependent solar modulation effects. PAMELA is also looking for antinuclei, in particular antihelium, with a sensitivity in the ratio He ¯/He of the order of 10 - 7, a factor 10 better than existing measurements. The expectations for PAMELA are shown in both scenarios, with statistical error bars. The scenarios with pure secondary production (solid and dotted lines) and with a contribution of primary production due to the annihilation of dark matter massive particles (supersymmetric neutralinos, dotted lines) are shown.
![orbital antimatter uplink orbital antimatter uplink](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/2i8gXqsi_PI/hqdefault.jpg)
1 and 2 show the current status of cosmic ray antiproton and positron measurements, compared to theoretical calculations. PAMELA searches for dark matter candidates through the detailed measurement of the antiproton and positron spectra. The main scientific aim of PAMELA is the study of the antimatter component of the cosmic radiation above the atmosphere.
![orbital antimatter uplink orbital antimatter uplink](https://c7.uihere.com/files/462/1016/925/desktop-wallpaper-3d-rendering-3d-computer-graphics-blue-brushes-thumb.jpg)
The mission is foreseen to last at least 3 years. The orbit is elliptical (altitude varying between 355 and 584 km) and semipolar (inclination 69. The apparatus is hosted on the Russian Resurs DK1 earth monitoring satellite. PAMELA was launched with a Soyuz-U rocket on June 15th 2006 from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The PAMELA satellite experiment 1 (a Payload for Antimatter–Matter Exploration and Light-nuclei Astrophysics) is designed to study the charged component of the cosmic radiation during the 24th solar minimum, with particular emphasis on antiparticles.