Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) today launched its first X-ray Polarimeter Satellite (XPoSat) in its first space mission of 2024.
The X-ray Polarimeter Satellite (XPoSat) aims to investigate the polarization of intense X-ray sources in space.
The launch follows the success of the Gaganyaan test vehicle D1 mission in October.
The satellite, which provides information about astronomical objects like black holes, took off from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, via Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) at 9:10 am on Monday.
As the 25-hour countdown ended, the 44.4 meter tall rocket took off spectacularly amid thunderous applause from a large number of spectators at the spaceport, located about 135 km east of Chennai.
The PSLV-C58 rocket, in its 60th mission, will deploy the primary payload XPoSat and 10 other satellites into low Earth orbits.
ISRO says XPoSat is the organisation’s first dedicated scientific satellite to conduct research in space-based polarization measurements of X-ray emissions from celestial sources.
The space agency said while India has established space-based X-ray astronomy focusing on imaging and time domain studies, Monday’s mission marks a major value-add for the scientific fraternity.
The primary payloads of XPoSat are POLIX (Polarimeter Instrument in X-rays) which was designed by the Raman Research Institute to measure polarimetry parameters, and Bengaluru.
The life of the mission is approximately 5 years.
What are the goals of the mission?
The objectives of the PSLV-C58 mission include measuring the polarization of
X-ray polarization serves as an important diagnostic tool for investigating the radiation mechanisms and geometry of celestial sources.
The astronomy community will benefit
Insights gained from X-ray polarization measurements on celestial objects such as black holes, neutron stars and active galactic nuclei have the potential to significantly improve the understanding of their physics.
