Final tests for the AMS upgrade before spaceflight
A new layer of silicon sensors is being tested at CERN before being sent to the International Space Station
A new layer of silicon sensors, known as Layer-0, is undergoing final tests at CERN before being launched to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS). The new layer, which will increase the detector's particle acceptance rate by 300%, is being tested using a proton beam from CERN's Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS).
Layer-0, with its 768 sensors, must be precisely aligned to within a few micrometers in order to correctly position it alongside the nine existing tracker layers. Once completed, Layer-0 will be shipped from Geneva to the Kennedy Space Center in January 2027 and will be installed on the ISS in April alongside a new power distribution system radiator.
Written by urgent.news from CERN's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
