BeppoSAX was an Italian–Dutch satellite for X-ray astronomy which played a crucial role in resolving the origin of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), the most energetic events known in the universe.

The main attitude constraint derived from the need to maintain the normal to the solar arrays within 30° from the Sun, with occasional excursions to 45° for some WFC observations.

Data was stored on-board on a tape unit with a capacity of 450 Mbits and transmitted to ground every orbit during station passage.

The WFC was complemented by the shielding of PDS which had a (nearly) all-sky view in the 100 to 600 keV (16,000 to 96,000 aJ) band, ideal for detecting gamma-ray bursts (GRB).

The position up to arcminute precision - depending on the signal to noise ratio of the burst - was found using the deconvoluted WFC-image.

[5] The LECS was similar to the MECS units, expect that it had a thinner window that allows photons with lower energies down to 0.1 keV (16 aJ) to pass through and operated in a "driftless" mode which is necessary to detect the lowest energy X-rays as these would be lost in the low field regime near the entrance window of a conventional GSPC.

The spectral resolution of the PDS was rather modest when compared to the gas detectors, but the low background counting rate resulting from the low inclination BeppoSAX orbit and good background rejection capabilities meant that the PDS remains one of the most sensitive high-energy instruments flown.