The AMS-02 experiment on the ISS

The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS-02) on the International Space Station (ISS) is a large acceptance magnetic spectrometer aiming for high precision studies of cosmic rays in space. The experiment will address fundamental questions regarding primary antimatter and dark matter contents of the universe. In addition, the precise measurements of cosmic rays in a wide energy range will result in a greatly improved understanding of the cosmic ray propagation in the Galaxy. The detector is now in its final assembly stage at CERN (Geneva) and it will be shipped to KSC (Florida) for integration with the space shuttle Discovery before the end of 2009. The STS-134 mission, currently scheduled for launch in September 2010 will transport the experiment to the ISS where it will operate for a period of 3 to 5 years.