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Source: This post on ISRO’s C58 mission has been created based on the article “Sign of the future” published in “The Hindu” on 2nd January 2024.
UPSC Syllabus Topic: GS Paper 3 Science & Technology – Awareness in the fields of Space.
News: The article discusses the recently launched C58 mission by ISRO.
What are the recent initiatives of ISRO?
ISRO has launched the following scientific missions since its success with Chandrayaan-3:
- Aditya L-1 space probe to study the Sun.
- X-ray Polarimeter Satellite (XPoSat) to study polarised X-rays emitted in astrophysical phenomena.
What is the XPoSat Mission?
On January 1, ISRO launched the XPoSat, in a two-part mission, onboard a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) on its C58 flight.
XPoSat is only the second space-based experiment to study X-ray polarisation. It does this at higher x-ray energies than the other, NASA’s Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer.
Payloads:
- POLIX payload: It will track X-rays in the 8-30 kilo-electron-volt (keV) energy range and observe emissions from around 50 sources in 5 years.
- XSPECT payload: It will study X-rays of energy 0.8-15 keV and changes in continuous X-ray emissions.
Together, they will help ISRO study intense X-ray sources such as pulsars and black holes.
What is the second part of the C58 mission?
After launching XPoSat in a 650-km circular orbit around the earth, the fourth stage of the rocket lowered itself into a 350-km-high orbit and unfurled solar panels.
It thus became a satellite and an orbiting testbed for the 10 payloads it carried (such as a tantalum-based radiation shield, a nanosatellite, a device to measure ultraviolet radiation, etc.).
The C58 mission embodies the combined dreams of seasoned scientists, enthusiastic science students, and India’s private space industry.
Question for practice:
India’s X-ray mission XPoSat has scripted history with its successful launch. What are its various payloads? How will it help enhance our understanding of the universe?
