India's first mission to analyze the polarization of X-rays emitted from bright astronomical sources in the medium frequency region is called X-ray Polarimeter Satellite (XPoSat).
India launched a new mission on the first day of the year to investigate black holes, one of the universe's ancient enigmas.
The X-ray Polarimeter Sat, or XPoSAT, was launched by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) at 9:10 a.m.
The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) lifted off normally at 9:32 am, and XPoSAT was launched successfully, according to an announcement made by ISRO.
Indian X-ray Polarimeter (POLIX) and X-ray Spectroscopy and Timing (XSPECT) are the two payloads that make up XPoSat. The Raman Research Institute and the UR Rao Satellite Centre, both in Bengaluru, are the organizations that constructed them.
Low earth orbit (around 650 km, with a low inclination of about 6 degrees) is the designated observational orbit for the spacecraft.
Over the course of its projected five-year mission, XPoSat will observe sources that produce polarized X-rays.
XPoSat is going to be revolutionary because it will make it feasible to measure X-ray polarization from bright sources in the medium range of energy (8-30 keV), which wasn't possible before.
2023 was an exceptional year for both the nation and ISRO. With the honor of being the first nation to accomplish a pleasant landing close to the moon's South Pole, India joined the exclusive space club following the accomplishment of the Chandrayaan mission.
The approximate cost of the XPoSat satellite was ₹ 250 crore, or $30 million. It cost $188 million for the NASA IXPE, which has been on a comparable mission since 2021.
The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) made its 60th flight with the launch of the XPoSAT mission. An advanced astronomical telescope designed to examine neutron stars and black holes is carried by the 260-ton rocket. With this, India has surpassed the United States as the second nation to possess a specialized "observatory" of this kind for the research of black holes.
