INTEGRAL - status and outlook

INTEGRAL, ESA's gamma-ray observatory mission was launched from Baikonur cosmodrome by a Proton rocket on 17 October 2002, and injected into its operational orbit with highest precision. Subsequent activation of spacecraft and instruments proceeded smoothly as planned. The commissioning phase including instrument performance and verification observations of the Cygnus region has been completed successfully. Early results indicate that the instruments are working well with scientific performances close to those predicted prior to launch. This paper provides a summary of the observatory status (as of 26 May 2003) and discusses a selection of first scientific results. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.