Space News ,India :- On Monday, India achieved a significant milestone by successfully launching the X-ray Polarimeter Satellite (XPoSat), the world second space-based observatory dedicated to exploring poorly observed celestial phenomena. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) employed its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle to deploy XPoSat into a 650km orbit around Earth.
The primary focus of XPoSat is to investigate some of the most violent and enigmatic objects in the cosmos, such as the remnants of dead stars known as black holes and neutron stars. Unlike traditional observations that rely on brightness, timing, and wavelength, XPoSat utilizes polarisation as a distinctive feature to study X-ray emissions from celestial sources. Many astronomers consider this approach a "fourth window" for observations, providing access to information otherwise inaccessible.
Varun Bhalerao, an associate professor of physics at the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, expressed optimism about the mission, stating, "We are hoping to use XPoSat to gain new insights into the mechanisms fueling the emissions from some of the most extreme objects in the universe." XPoSat is designed to operate for five years.
Neutron stars and black holes, characterized by their high densities, powerful magnetic fields, and intense gravity, are compact remnants of stars that have depleted their fuel. As material falls into these objects due to gravitational forces, it emits radiation, including X-rays detectable by space-based observatories.
The United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) launched the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) in December 2021, marking the first observatory with similar astronomical objectives. XPoSat features two instruments, namely POLIX, developed at the Raman Research Institute in Bangalore, and XSPECT, developed by the space astronomy group at ISRO UR Rao Space Centre, Bangalore.
Tarun Souradeep, director of the Raman Research Institute, highlighted the institute contribution, stating that they designed and fabricated the flight model of POLIX, showcasing capabilities in both science and engineering. XPoSat and IXPE possess complementary observational capabilities, collectively probing different emission mechanisms and the physics of bright X-ray sources in the universe.
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