XPoSat launch: 7 things to know about Isro's mission to study black holes

Isro X-Ray Polarimeter Satellite launch: XPoSat is the first dedicated scientific satellite from Isro to carry out detailed research of X-ray emission from celestial sources

On New Year's Day, the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) launched India's first X-Ray Polarimeter Satellite, also known as XPoSat, that would attempt to unravel the mystery behind black holes. The PSLV-C58 rocket, in its 60th mission, deployed XPoSat into an eastward low-inclination orbit. The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) lifted off at 9:10 am from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.

Here are seven things to know about the X-ray Polarimeter Satellite (XPoSAT):

1) Isro announced, at 9:32 am, that the lift-off of the PSLV was normal and XPoSAT had been successfully launched. "On January 1, 2024, yet another successful mission of the PSLV has been accomplished. The PSLV-C58 has placed the primary satellite at the XPoSat in the desired orbit of 650 km with a 6-degree inclination," Isro Chairman S Somnath said after the successful launch.

2) XPoSat is the first dedicated scientific satellite from India's space agency to carry out detailed research on X-ray emission from celestial sources. It will investigate the polarisation of intense X-ray sources in space.

3) XPoSat will carry two payloads: POLIX (Polarimeter Instrument in X-Rays), which is designed to measure polarimetry parameters by Raman Research Institute, and XSPECT (X-ray Spectroscopy and Timing), built by the U R Rao Satellite Centre, Bengaluru.

4) With this launch, India is set to become only the second country after the US to have an 'observatory' to investigate black holes. After the success of the Chandrayaan mission, Isro is now aiming for the Gaganyaan mission, India's first human spaceflight programme, and sending the first Indian to the Moon by 2040.

5) The XPoSAT mission seeks to measure the polarisation of X-rays in the energy band 8-30 keV emanating from about 50 potential cosmic sources and to complete long-term spectral and temporal studies of cosmic X-ray sources. X-ray polarisation aids in looking behind the radiation mechanism and geometry of celestial objects.

6) During the mission, the PSLV Orbital Experimental Module-3 (POEM-3) experiment was conducted and 10 payloads developed by start-ups, educational institutions and Isro centres were also launched.

7) Isro spent Rs 250 crore (approximately $30 million) on the XPoSat satellite. The NASA IXPE, which has been conducting a similar mission since 2021, cost $188 million. XPoSat is expected to last more than five years in comparison to the two-year life span of the NASA IXPE.