Editor's Pick | ISRO launches XPoSat mission to study black holes

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) kicked off the New Year with the launch of the PSLV-C58 X-ray Polarimeter Satellite (XPoSat) mission. The PSLV, in its 60th mission, lifted off Monday morning from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota and launched the XPoSat into an eastward low inclination orbit. The successful launch put India in an elite category as it has become only the second nation to send an observatory to study astronomical sources such as black holes and neutron stars, among others. XPoSat is only the second X-ray polarimetry mission in the world, after NASA’s Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) launched in 2021. It is the first dedicated scientific satellite from ISRO to carry out research in space-based polarisation measurements of X-ray emission from celestial sources. It carries two payloads, namely POLIX (Polarimeter Instrument in X-rays) and XSPECT (X-ray Spectroscopy and Timing). The PSLV also launched 10 payloads developed by start-ups, education institutions and ISRO centres. This included the Fuel cell Power System (FCPS) payload that has potential applications in India’s space station which is proposed to come up by 2035. An editorial in today’s edition of The Hindu terms the PSLV-C58 mission a sign of the future and a symbol of the demands being made of ISRO. “The relative timing of these launches may be a coincidence but it is heartening because the ratio of scientific to technological missions ISRO has launched is skewed in favour of the latter, at the expense of research in the sense of discovery. Those science-oriented missions have all been exceptional in their own right,” it adds. The space agency’s Chairman, S. Somanath, meanwhile, said that 2024 would be the year of Gaganyaan readiness, which is India’s Human Space Mission, as the space agency would carry out two more test flights of Flight Test Vehicle Abort Mission (TV-D) followed by unmanned flights. On the ISRO’s agenda for 2024, he said, “We are going to get ready for at least 12-14 missions this year. 2024 is going to be a year for Gaganyaan readiness, though it is targeted for 2025.” He said that the unmanned missions would help the agency understand its preparedness of various hardware, adding that the ISRO would also conduct a helicopter-based drop test to prove the parachute systems for the unmanned mission. Editorials Sign of the future: On ISRO’s PSLV C58 mission Widening war: On the Gaza war going beyond Israel-Palestine The Hindu’s Daily News Quiz Who was appointed as the Chairman of the 16th Finance Commission? Arvind Panagariya Amitabh Kant Kaushik Basu Arvind Subramaniam To know the answer and to play the full quiz, click here. [logo] Editor's Pick 02 January 2024 [The Hindu logo] In the Editor's Pick newsletter, The Hindu explains why a story was important enough to be carried on the front page of today's edition of our newspaper. [[Arrow]Open in browser]( [[Mail icon]More newsletters]( ISRO launches XPoSat mission to study black holes The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)[ kicked off the New Year with the launch of the PSLV-C58 X-ray Polarimeter Satellite (XPoSat) mission](. The PSLV, in its 60th mission, lifted off Monday morning from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota and launched the XPoSat into an eastward low inclination orbit. The successful launch put India in an elite category as it has become only the second nation to send an observatory to study astronomical sources such as black holes and neutron stars, among others. [XPoSat is only the second X-ray polarimetry mission in the world]( after NASA’s Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) launched in 2021. It is the first dedicated scientific satellite from ISRO to carry out research in space-based polarisation measurements of X-ray emission from celestial sources. It carries two payloads, namely POLIX (Polarimeter Instrument in X-rays) and XSPECT (X-ray Spectroscopy and Timing). The PSLV also launched [10 payloads developed by start-ups, education institutions and ISRO centres](. This included the[ Fuel cell Power System (FCPS) payload]( that has potential applications in India’s space station which is proposed to come up by 2035. An editorial in today’s edition of The Hindu terms the [PSLV-C58 mission a sign of the future and a symbol of the demands being made of ISRO](. “The relative timing of these launches may be a coincidence but it is heartening because the ratio of scientific to technological missions ISRO has launched is skewed in favour of the latter, at the expense of research in the sense of discovery. Those science-oriented missions have all been exceptional in their own right,” it adds. The space agency’s Chairman, S. Somanath, meanwhile, said that [2024 would be the year of Gaganyaan readiness, which is India’s Human Space Mission]( as the space agency would carry out two more test flights of Flight Test Vehicle Abort Mission (TV-D) [followed by unmanned flights](. On the ISRO’s agenda for 2024, he said, “We are going to get ready for at least 12-14 missions this year. 2024 is [going to be a year for Gaganyaan readiness, though it is targeted for 2025]( He said that the unmanned missions would help the agency understand its preparedness of various hardware, adding that the ISRO would also conduct a helicopter-based drop test to prove the parachute systems for the unmanned mission. Editorials [Arrow][Sign of the future: On ISRO’s PSLV C58 mission]( [Arrow][Widening war: On the Gaza war going beyond Israel-PalestineÂ]( The Hindu’s Daily News Quiz Who was appointed as the Chairman of the 16th Finance Commission? - Arvind Panagariya - Amitabh Kant - Kaushik Basu - Arvind Subramaniam To know the answer and to play the full quiz, [click here.]( [Sign up for free]( Today’s Best Reads [[Plea in Supreme Court seeks ‘independent, transparent’ system to appoint CEC, ECs] Plea in Supreme Court seeks ‘independent, transparent’ system to appoint CEC, ECs]( [[Major Japan quake kills 30; damage ‘extensive’, says PM Kishida] Major Japan quake kills 30; damage ‘extensive’, says PM Kishida]( [[After iron bridge, railway track and diesel engine, Bihar reports ‘theft’ of pond] After iron bridge, railway track and diesel engine, Bihar reports ‘theft’ of pond]( [[How a super-energetic particle from outer space could help physics | Explained] How a super-energetic particle from outer space could help physics | Explained]( Copyright @ 2023, THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD. 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