  On the 15th of June 2006, the PAMELA satellite-borne experiment was launched
from the Baikonur cosmodrome and it has been collecting data since July 2006.
The apparatus comprises a time-of-flight system, a silicon-microstrip magnetic
spectrometer, a silicon-tungsten electromagnetic calorimeter, an
anticoincidence system, a shower tail counter scintillator and a neutron
detector. The combination of these devices allows precision studies of the
charged cosmic radiation to be conducted over a wide energy range (100 MeV -
100's GeV) with high statistics. The primary scientific goal is the measurement
of the antiproton and positron energy spectrum in order to search for exotic
sources, such as dark matter particle annihilations. PAMELA is also searching
for primordial antinuclei (anti-helium), and testing cosmic-ray propagation
models through precise measurements of the antiparticle energy spectrum and
precision studies of light nuclei and their isotopes. We review the status of
the apparatus and present preliminary results concerning antiparticle
measurements and dark-matter indirect searches.
