ISRO Begins 2024 with The Successful Launch of xPoSat Satellite

Indian space agency ISRO begins the new year with a successful launch of X-Ray Polarimeter Satellite (XPoSat) Satellite. The PSLV-C58 vehicle placed the satellite precisely into the intended orbit of 650 km with 6-degree inclination.

With this launch, India becomes the second nation in the world to launch an advanced astronomy observatory specifically geared to study black holes and neutron stars.

After injection of XPOSAT, the PS4 stage will be re-started twice to reduce the orbit into 350 km circular orbit to maintain in 3-axis stabilized mode for Orbital Platform (OP) experiments. The PSLV Orbital Experimental Module-3 (POEM-3) experiment will be executed meeting the objective of 10 identified payloads, supplied by ISRO and IN-SPACe.

The spectroscopic and timing information of sources such as blackhole, neutron star etc by various space based observatories provide a wealth of information, however the exact nature of the emission from such sources still poses deeper challenges to astronomers. XPoSat is touted as Indian science community's major contribution to understand the emission mechanism of these astronomical sources – blackhole, neutron stars, active galactic nuclei, pulsar wind nebulae etc.