ISRO launches XPoSAT satellite - secrets of black hole will be revealed!

ISRO Mission: Today, on the first day of the year, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) created history by launching the XPoSAT satellite. The launch time was fixed at 9.10 am from Sriharikota Space Centre. India has become the second country in the world to do so. XPoSAT will explore the mystery of black holes. Actually, the observatory is called XPoSAT or X-ray Polarimeter Satellite.

This is India's third mission in less than a year to explore the universe. India, which reached the Moon last year, is planning an ambitious effort by the beginning of 2024 to gather information about the universe and one of its most enduring mysteries, the black hole. The country has become the second country in the world to launch an advanced astronomy observatory, which is specifically designed to study black holes and neutron stars.

POLIX and XSPECT two payloads

When the largest stars run out of energy and 'extinguish', they collapse under their own gravity. They leave behind black holes or neutron stars. It has been reported that by using X-ray photons and their polarization, XPoSAT will help in studying radiation from near black holes and neutron stars. It has two payloads named POLIX (Polarimeter Instrument in X-rays) and XSPECT (X-ray Spectroscopy and Timing).

The satellite POLIX payload will measure the polarization of X-rays in the energy band 8-30keV emanating from approximately 50 potential cosmic sources through Thomson scattering. It will conduct long-term spectral and temporal studies of cosmic X-ray sources. It will also make polarization and spectroscopic measurements of X-ray emissions from cosmic sources through the POLIX and XSPECT payloads.

NASA built satellite in less money

Black holes have the highest gravitational force in the universe and neutron stars have the highest density. More information about this will be collected through the mission. It will also help in knowing the secrets of the extreme environment in space. About Rs 250 crore has been spent in building the XPoSat satellite, while a similar mission called IXPE was launched by NASA in the year 2021. 188 million dollars were spent from them.