ISRO i.e. Indian Space Research Organization has started the year 2024 with a bang.
The space agency has successfully launched the X-ray Polarimeter Satellite (XPoSat) on the very first day on Monday.
Like the historic Chandrayaan-3, Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh also witnessed this launch.
India has become the second country in the world to achieve this feat in the study of black holes.
XPoSat will travel into space and reveal the secrets of astronomical creations like black holes. This launch is being done after the success of Gaganyaan test vehicle ‘D1 Mission’ in October.
The lifespan of this mission will be about five years. The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV)-C58 rocket on its 60th mission will carry the key payload ‘ExpoSat’ and 10 other satellites that will be placed in low Earth orbit.
ISRO chief S Somnath said, ‘Happy New Year to everyone. On January 1, 2024, another mission of PSLV has been successful….’ Mission Director Dr. Jayakumar M said, ‘XPoSat is a space observatory…. This is a satellite developed entirely by women for comparison of solar irradiance and UP index. It shows the empowerment of women in the field of science and technology….’
Experts say that the launch of XPoSat is a clear indication that India is ready to launch such missions, about which not much information is available.
It is being said that this mission will provide a big platform to increase India’s efforts in space exploration, research and development.
second country after America
XpoSat will help unravel the mysteries of the X-ray source and study the mysterious world of ‘black holes’.
According to ISRO, it is the space agency’s first dedicated scientific satellite to study X-ray emissions from astronomical sources in space-based polarization measurements. Apart from ISRO, US space agency NASA had conducted a similar study of the remains of supernova explosion, streams of particles emanating from black holes and other astronomical phenomena in December 2021.
Exposat’s Polaroids
POLYX: According to ISRO’s official website, POLYX is an X-ray polarimeter in the energy band of 8-30keV. This payload has been developed by Ramam Research Institute (RRI), Bengaluru in collaboration with UR Rao Satellite (URSC). This instrument is made of collimator.
XSPECT: EXPECT is an X-ray spectroscopy and timing payload, providing good timing and fine spectroscopic resolution in soft X-rays.