The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will launch the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV)-C58 which will carry the X-Ray Polarimeter Satellite (XPoSat) on January 1 to study black holes, neutron stars, X-ray binaries and non-thermal supernova remnants.
As per the ISRO, the XPoSat mission will lift off at 9:10 am.
It is considered a milestone journey in India’s space journey.
The mission is designed to investigate the polarisation of intense X-ray sources, as reported India Today.
The spacecraft will carry two scientific payloads in a low earth orbit.
To be noted that the XPoSat mission will be India’s first, and the world’s second mission dedicated to polarimetry.
Notably, NASA’s Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) launched in 2021.
The ISRO’s mission will focus on studying the 50 brightest known sources in the universe.
It will also include pulsars, active galactic nuclei, neutron stars, black holes, X-ray binaries and non-thermal supernova remnants, reported the media house.
The spacecraft will carry two scientific payloads in a low earth orbit – POLIX and XSPECT.
The primary payload POLIX (Polarimeter Instrument in X-rays) will measure the polarimetry parameters (degree and angle of polarization) in a medium X-ray energy range of 8-30 keV photons of astronomical origin.
The XSPECT (X-ray Spectroscopy and Timing) payload will give spectroscopic information in the energy range of 0.8-15 keV.
POLIX – is an X-ray Polarimeter for astronomical observations in the energy band of 8-30 keV.
The payload is being developed by Ramam Research Institute (RRI), Bangalore in collaboration with U R Rao Satellite Centre (URSC).
XSPECT – It is an X-ray SPECtroscopy and Timing payload onboard XPoSat, which can provide fast timing and good spectroscopic resolution in soft X-ray emission in the X-ray energy range 0.8-15 keV.
An array of Swept Charge Devices (SCDs) provide an effective area >30 cm2 at 6 keV with energy resolution better than 200 eV at 6 keV.
