What is XPoSat? ISRO’s First Polarimetry Mission

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is all set to launch its first polarimetry mission, XPoSat, on January 1, 2024. As per ISRO, the X-Ray Polarimeter Satellite (XPoSat) mission will be launched at 9.15 am on the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV)-C58. The XPoSat mission will be India’s first and the world’s second mission followed by NASA’s Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) launched in 2021.

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What is XPoSat Mission? What are its objectives?

The X-Ray Polarimeter Satellite (XPoSat) is India’s first dedicated polarimetry mission that aims to study the emission mechanism from various astronomical sources such as black holes, neutron stars, active galactic nuclei, pulsar and nebulae, etc.

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What are the payloads and instruments aboard the XPoSat Mission?

The spacecraft will carry two scientific payloads:

The primary payload POLIX (Polarimeter Instrument in X-rays) will measure the polarimetry parameters (degree and angle of polarization) in medium X-ray energy range of 8-30 keV photons of astronomical origin.

The XSPECT (X-ray Spectroscopy and Timing) payload will give spectroscopic information in the energy range of 0.8-15 keV.

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What will be the orbit and lifespan of the mission?

The XPoSat Mission will be placed in the Low Earth Orbit. The lifespan of the mission will be a minimum of 5 years.

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What is the significance of the XPoSat Mission?

The XPoSat mission will aid in understanding the exact nature of the emission from various astronomical sources such as black holes, neutron stars, active galactic nuclei, pulsar and nebulae, etc.

The polarimetry measurements will further aid astronomers’ understanding of the degree of polarization and the angle of polarization.

ISRO states, “The polarimetric observations along with spectroscopic measurements are expected to break the degeneracy of various theoretical models of astronomical emission processes.”

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