Status of the GLAST Observatory

Abstract

The upcoming GLAST mission represents a major step forward in gamma-ray astronomy, with dramatic improvements in sensitivity, angular resolution and energy range beyond those achieved by the highly successful EGRET instrument on the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory. In this talk, I will provide a brief update on the status of the mission, summarize the operations and observing plan for the first year of observations and describe the performance and sensitivity of the instruments.