Scientists from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) — Amit Kumar Patra, Victor Joseph, Yashoda, and Srinivas — visited Tirumala Sri Venkateswara temple on Sunday (December 31) morning, just ahead of the launch of the PSLV-C58/XPOSAT mission.
The mission is scheduled at 09:10 IST on January 1, the first day of the new calendar year 2024, at Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.
XPoSat (X-ray Polarimeter Satellite) is the first dedicated scientific satellite from ISRO to carry out research in space-based polarisation measurements of X-ray emission from celestial sources.
The objectives of this to-be-launched mission are to measure polarisation of X-rays in the energy band 8-30keV emanating from about 50 potential cosmic sources through Thomson Scattering by POLIX payload; to carry out long term spectral and temporal studies of cosmic X-ray sources in the energy band 0.8-15keV by XSPECT payload; and to carry out polarisation and spectroscopic measurements of X-ray emissions from cosmic sources by POLIX and XSPECT payloads respectively, in the common energy band.
The module houses 10 identified payloads, supplied by ISRO and IN-SPACe.
The scientific goals of the mission are to study the distribution of magnetic field, geometric anisotropies, alignment with respect to the line of sight, nature of accelerator in galactic cosmic X-Ray sources by measuring degree of polarization and its angle; structure and geometry of magnetic field of neutron stars, mechanism of X-Ray beaming and its relation with luminosity and mass of accretion rate of powered pulsars; detailed understanding of galactic black hole binary sources; among others.
XpoSAT has two scientific payloads, the primary being POLIX (Polarimeter Instrument in X-rays). It will measure polarimetry parameters. These are the degree and angle of polarization. The measurements will be made in a medium X-range of 8-30 keV. POLIX’s mission will encompass the study of approximately 40 bright astronomical sources spanning various categories.
It comprises a collimator, scatterer, and four X-ray proportional counter detectors. The collimator narrows the field of view to three degrees by three degrees, ensuring that only one prominent source is observed at any given time during many observations.
The second payload is XSPECT (X-ray Spectroscopy and Timing). This payload will give spectroscopic information at an energy range of 0.8-15kEV. The emission mechanism from various astronomical sources such as black holes, neutron stars, active galactic nuclei, and pulsar wind nebulae originates from complex physical processes and is challenging to understand.
XSPECT’s targeted sources encompass a spectrum of celestial objects, including X-ray pulsars, black hole binaries, low-magnetic field neutron stars (NS) within low-mass X-ray binaries, active galactic nuclei, and Magnetars.
In a stellar display of prowess, India soared to new heights in 2023 with the successful soft landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the south pole of moon and the launch of Aditya-L1, India’s first solar mission.
These milestones not only secured India’s standing in the global space economy but also fueled the engines for the private space sector in India.
(With inputs from ANI)
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