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Source- This post is based on the article “ISRO successfully launches PSLV-C58 XPoSat mission” published in “The Hindu” on 1st January 2024.
Why in the News?
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully launched the PSLV-C58 X-ray Polarimeter Satellite (XPoSat) mission on January 1, 2024.
What is XPoSat Mission?
| Specifications | Details |
| What is it? | XPoSat is ISRO’s inaugural scientific satellite solely dedicated to space-based polarization measurements of X-ray emissions from celestial sources. |
| Launched on | 1 January 2024 |
| Rocket | PSLV-C58 |
| Payloads | 1) POLIX (Polarimeter Instrument in X-rays)- it will measure the polarimetry parameters (degree and angle of polarization) in medium X-ray energy range of 8-30 keV photons of astronomical origin. 2) XSPECT (X-ray Spectroscopy and Timing)- it will give spectroscopic information and observe several types of sources such as X-ray pulsars, blackhole binaries, low-magnetic field neutron star etc. |
| Significance | 1) It is India’s first and the world’s second polarimetry mission, after NASA’s Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE). 2) XPoSat will become India’s third space-based observatory after the recently launched solar mission Aditya-L1 and AstroSat launched in 2015. |
| For more information on XPoSat Click here to read |
What are the other 10 Payloads onboard PSLV C58 Rocket?
1) ISRO has utilized the PSLV Orbital Experimental Module (POEM) platform for the third time to achieve the objectives of 10 other payloads.
2) Under this, after injecting XPoSat in its orbit, the fourth stage of the launch vehicle was fired twice to bring it down to 350-km orbit where it will be used as a platform for experiments.
3) Among these 10 payloads the Fuel cell Power System (FCPS) payload (designed by ISRO’s Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre) is significant as it has potential applications in India’s space station which is proposed to come up by 2035.
4) POEM’s experiments include the Women Engineered Satellite (WESAT) by LBS Institute of Technology for Women, which examines solar irradiance and UV index.
5) Additional experiments cover radiation shielding, amateur radio, three propulsion systems by space start-ups, an inter-planetary dust count experiment by Physical Research Laboratory, and a silicon-based high-energy cell by VSSC.
What is ISRO’s ‘POEM’ Platform?
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