India started the New Year trying to solve one of the biggest mysteries of the universe: black holes. A rocket carrying an advanced astronomical observatory designed to examine black holes and neutron stars was sent into space today.
PSLV-C58/XPoSat Mission: Normal takeoff 🙂🛰️The XPoSat satellite is successfully launched. 🚀The PSLV-C58 vehicle placed the satellite precisely in the planned orbit of 650 km with an inclination of 6 degrees🎯. POEM-3 is being programmed. ..#XPoSat
-ISRO (@isro) January 1, 2024
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- When was the satellite launched?
- What is the objective of this launch?
- How much did the satellite cost?
When was the satellite launched?
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With the successful launch of the XPoSAT, or X-ray polarimeter satellite, at 9:10 a.m., India became the second country, after the United States, to have an “observatory” to investigate black holes.
The new project follows India’s successful Chandrayaan lunar mission.
What is the objective of this launch?
XPoSAT will help in the study of radiation from nearby black holes and neutron stars by using X-ray photons and their polarization. POLIX (Polarimetric X-ray Instrument) and XSPECT (X-ray Spectroscopy and Timing) are its two payloads.
Using POLIX’s Thomson Scattering, the satellite will measure the polarization of X-rays in the 8-30keV energy band emanating from about 50 possible cosmic sources.
Long-term spectral and temporal investigations of cosmic X-ray sources will be carried out. Through the POLIX and XSPECT payloads, it will also perform spectroscopic and polarization observations of X-ray emissions from cosmic sources.
How much did the satellite cost?
The XPoSat satellite cost around Rs 250 million (nearly $30 million), while NASA’s IXPE, which has been on a similar mission since 2021, cost $188 million. The Indian satellite is expected to last more than five years, compared to the two-year lifespan of NASA’s IXPE.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn