Scientific capabilities and performances of the BeppoSAX mission

The combination of the broad band narrow field instruments, the wide field cameras and gamma-ray burst monitor along with the operational capabilities of the whole BeppoSAX mission is providing an unprecedented opportunity to study the X-ray sky. The overall scientific capabilities and performances of the mission, summarized in this contribution, are widely demonstrated by the results presented at this conference. A particular emphasis will be given here to the capabilities of the mission to observe transient phenomena, in particular gamma-ray bursts, that have led for the first time to the discovery of fading counterparts in other wavelengths