X-ray Polarimeter Satellite (XPoSat)

05.12.2023

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Why in the news?

According to recent news, India's first polarimetry mission may be launched by ISRO in December 2023.

About X-ray Polarimeter Satellite:

• The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has announced that India is set to launch its first X-ray Polarimeter Satellite (XPoSat).
• XPoSat will be launched by the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota.
• XPoSat is expected to have a life of approximately five years.
• The XPoSat spacecraft carrying two scientific payloads is designated for observations from low Earth orbit (~650 km altitude non-sun synchronous orbit, low inclination of about six degrees).
• With these two payloads, the XPoSat mission is able to simultaneously study the temporal, spectral, and polarization features of bright X-ray sources.
• The payloads on board XPoSat will observe X-ray sources during the spacecraft's transit through the Earth's shadow, i.e., during the eclipse period.

Payloads of XPoSat:

• POLIX: XPoSat's primary payload, POLIX (Polarimeter Instrument in Is designed for. The POLIX payload was developed by Raman Research Institute (RRI), Bengaluru in collaboration with various ISRO centers.
• XSPECT: The secondary payload is the XSPECT (X-ray Spectroscopy and Timing) payload, which will provide spectroscopic information within the energy range of 0.8–15 keV. The XSPECT payload was developed by UR Rao Satellite Center (URSC), ISRO.

Objectives of XPoSat:

• Its goal is to investigate the polarization of intense X-ray sources.
• XPoSat's objectives include measurement of X-ray polarization in the energy band of 8–30 keV emanating from X-ray sources, long-term spectral and temporal study of cosmic X-ray sources in the energy band of 0.8–15 keV.

Importance:

• XPoSat (X-ray Polarimeter Satellite) is India's first dedicated polarimetry mission to study the various dynamics of bright astronomical X-ray sources under extreme conditions.
• This research, complementing traditional time and frequency domain studies, introduces a new dimension to X-ray astronomy, generating anticipation and excitement within the scientific community.