India launches X-ray astronomy satellite

India has successfully launched its first X-ray astronomy satellite, the X-ray Polarimeter Satellite (XPoSat), dedicated to studying black holes.

The XPoSat was launched over Satish Dhawan Space Centre in India on New Year’s Day into a 350-kilometer orbit from an island near Sriharikota, the country’s primary spaceport located in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh.

The launch, which was the first of 2024, based on Universal Time. occurred at 10:40 p.m. EST, December 31st / 3:40 UT January 1st, which makes it the final launch for 2023 and the first launch for 2024.

A Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) lifted off at 10:40 p.m. Eastern Dec. 31 (9:10 a.m. local Jan. 1) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre. It deployed its primary payload, the XPoSat spacecraft, into a 650-kilometer orbit about 22 minutes later.

After deploying XPoSat, the PSLV’s fourth stage manoeuvred to a 350-kilometer orbit. Attached to the upper stage is a payload called PSLV Orbital Experimental Module (POEM) 3. It carries 10 experiments, such as fuel cells and thrusters, from ISRO, universities and companies expected to operate for about a month.

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Lowering POEM-3 to 350 kilometres is intended to mitigate debris by reducing the orbital lifetime of the upper stage.

“As a responsible space agency, we decided to bring the fourth stage to a lower orbit so that the life of the stage in the orbit is much less, so we don’t create debris in that process,” said S. Somanath, chairman of ISRO, in remarks after the launch.

“2024 is going to be the year of Gaganyaan,” Somanath said after the launch, starting with additional abort tests. “This year we are expecting two more such test flights of the test vehicle, followed by the unmanned mission.” That would be an orbital test of the Gaganyaan spacecraft without a crew on board.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) confirmed the satellite’s successful placement into orbit. The mission is reported to be in good health by its controllers and is now in a 6∘-inclination low-Earth orbit at an altitude of 650 kilometres (400 miles).

XPoSat’s mission is to study and provide valuable data on black holes and neutron stars using its advanced X-ray polarimetry technology.

The spacecraft is equipped with two scientific payloads, POLIX and XSPECT, designed to offer new insights into the emission mechanisms of various celestial bodies, including black holes, neutron stars, and active galactic nuclei.