Current and Future NASA Missions Focusing on GRBs

Josh Wood

NASA MSFC

The detection of GRB 170817A and its associated binary neutron star merger event GW170817 proved that GRB observations are an essential component of modern multimessenger astronomy. NASA currently operates two premier GRB instruments, the Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM) and the Swift Burst Alert Telescope (BAT), which will search for GRB counterparts to gravitational wave events during the next gravitational wave observing run, beginning in March 2023. I will give an overview of the capabilities of these instruments as well as future NASA missions designed to improve upon their capabilities for future multimessenger observations.