Days after the successful launch of India’s maiden X-ray Polarimeter Satellite (XPoSat) to study black holes and neutron stars, Karan Jani, a professor of Astrophysics at a US-based university, said on January 2 that the country taking the lead in several frontiers of space science is ‘very inspiring.’
The Professor of Astrophysics at Vanderbilt University, US, said that it is the most exciting time to study black holes, and India is one of the key players studying this.
“This was very inspiring to see India taking the lead in several frontiers in space science. Black holes are very close to me; it has been my area of research. India has already shown; like they’re in, they’re going ahead with the LIGO India project, with the XPoSat and they’ve also recently joined the square kilometre array…,” he said while speaking to ANI.
“It is the most exciting time to study black holes, and India is one of the key players in this field. So as an Indian scientist, I’m very proud of all the developments,” he said.
The Indian Space Research Organisation started the year on January 1 with the launch of the X-ray Polarimeter Satellite (XPoSat) to study X-ray emissions from various celestial sources.
Addressing the scientists after the successful launch of the mission, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chief S Somanath said the PSLV-C58 vehicle placed the satellite precisely into the intended orbit of 650 km, with a 6-degree inclination.
“From this point, the orbit of the PSLV will be reduced to a lower orbit, where the upper stage of the PSLV, which is now described as POEM, will carry out experiments with nine of the onboard payloads, and that will take some time,” Somanath added.
It is India’s first observation of black holes, though other countries have done such studies earlier. Somanath said it took seven years to build this satellite.
“We want to create at least 100 scientists who can understand this aspect and contribute to the knowledge of black holes to the world,” he added. 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 the 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. Among other feats India now aims for are the Gaganyaan Mission in 2024-2025, setting up ‘Bharatiya Antariksha Station’ by 2035, and sending the first Indian to the Moon by 2040.
(with inputs from ANI)
