ISRO Starts New Year With Successful Launch Of India's First X-Ray Satellite To Study Black Holes

In a remarkable start to 2024, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched the X-ray Polarimeter Satellite (XPoSat) and 10 accompanying payloads using the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle-DL (PSLV-DL) on Monday(1 January).

The 25-hour countdown initiated smoothly at 8:10 a.m. on Sunday (31 December), leading to the launch from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.

The PSLV-DL variant, designated as PSLV-C58, stood tall at 44.4 meters, weighing 260 tons.

The mission's precision maneuver involves two restarts of the rocket's fourth stage to adjust the orbit, achieving a 350 km circular orbit.

A key highlight of the mission is the execution of the PSLV Orbital Experimental Module-3 (POEM-3) experiment, addressing the objectives of the 10 identified payloads contributed by ISRO and the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe).

XPoSat's primary objective is to explore X-ray sources and conduct extensive research on black holes, marking the world's second mission of this kind after NASA's 2021 Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer mission.

The rocket lifted off at 9:10 a.m., propelling XPoSat to an altitude of approximately 650 km about 21 minutes into the flight.

This successful launch underlines India's growing capabilities in space exploration and scientific research.