With the successful launch of its first X-Ray Polarimeter satellite on Monday, ISRO is now able to learn more about astronomical objects such as black holes.

In its C58 mission, ISRO’s dependable Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) launched the primary X-Ray Polarimeter satellite, or XPoSat, into a planned Low Earth Orbit of 650 km.  The launch held from the Sriharikota launch pad at the appointed time of 9:10 AM. 

As the 25-hour countdown concluded, the 44.4-meter-tall rocket blasted off gracefully to a tremendous ovation. 

Polarimeter is the first specialized scientific satellite from ISRO to conduct studies on space-based polarization measurements of X-ray emission from celestial sources, according to the space agency. When analyzing the radiation process and geometry of astronomical sources, X-ray polarization is an essential diagnostic tool.

POLIX (Polarimeter Instrument in X-Rays), developed by the Raman Research Institute to determine polarimetry parameters, and XSPECT (X-ray Spectroscopy and Timing), constructed by the U R Rao Satellite Centre, Bengaluru, are the main payloads of XPoSat. POLIX is expected to observer about 40 bright astronomical sources of different categories during the planned lifetime of the XPoSat mission of about 5 years. 

NISAR, a cutting-edge joint venture satellite between ISRO and NASA, will also be launched in the first quarter of 2024. NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar), which was built for over Rs. 12,500 crores (about $1.5 billion), is intended to be launched onboard India’s GSLV rocket. Studying terrestrial ecosystems, solid earth deformation, sea ice, mountain and polar cryosphere, and coastal waters on a regional to global scale will be made much easier with the use of NISAR data.