ISRO launched its first mission of the year named XPoSat (X-ray Polarimeter Satellite) along with 10 other satellites from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on Jan 1, 2024, at 09:10 am IST, using the PSLV-C58 rocket.
It is the second of its kind mission after NASA’s Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) which was launched in 2021.
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Key Highlights of the Mission-
- Aim: To study the polarisation of X-rays emanating from exotic objects such as neutron stars and black hole
- Platform: Modified IMS-2 Bus
- Lifespan: About five years
- Orbit: Circular low earth orbit of 500-700km (310-430 mi)
- Inclination: ≤30°
- Cost: ₹250 cr. (approx. $30 mn)
- Mass of the satellite: 469 kg
Payloads-
It carries two payloads named POLIX (Polarimeter Instrument in X-rays) and XSPECT (X-ray Spectroscopy and Timing).
POLIX is developed by Raman Research Institute and XSPECT is by the Space Astronomy Group of U R Rao Satellite Centre (URSC).
POLIX is designed to measure the polarisation of X-rays in the energy band 8-30 keV whereas XSPECT is designed to carry out long-term spectral and temporal studies of cosmic X-ray sources in the energy band 0.8-15 keV.
PSLV Orbital Experimental Module-3 (POEM-3) Experiment-
A pivotal aspect of the mission is the PSLV Orbital Experimental Module-3 (POEM-3) experiment, targeting the goal of 10 identified payloads, provided by ISRO and IN-SPACe (Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre).
Several leaders congratulated ISRO for this movement-
Amit Shah, Nitin Gadkari, Smriti Z Irani, G Kishan Reddy, Piyush Goyal, Dr S. Jaishankar, Himanta B. Sarma, Yogi Adityanath, J. P. Nadda, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya and many other leaders congratulated ISRO by their tweet for this achievement.