XPoSat
X-ray Polarimeter satellite (XPoSat) in deployed configuration | |
| Names | XPoSat |
|---|---|
| Mission type | Space observatory |
| Operator | ISRO |
| COSPAR ID | 2024-001A |
| SATCAT no. | 58694 |
| Website | www |
| Mission duration | Planned : 5 years Elapsed : 1 year, 5 months, 16 days |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | X-ray Polarimeter Satellite |
| Bus | Modified IMS-2 |
| Manufacturer | Raman Research Institute U R Rao Satellite Centre |
| Launch mass | 480 kg (1,060 lb) |
| Payload mass | 144 kg (317 lb) |
| Dimensions | 65 × 65 × 60 cm (26 × 26 × 24 in) |
| Power | 1260 watts |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 1 January 2024, 9:10 AM IST (3:40 UTC) |
| Rocket | PSLV-DL |
| Launch site | Satish Dhawan Space Centre First Launch Pad |
| Contractor | ISRO |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit |
| Regime | Low Earth orbit |
| Perigee altitude | 638 km |
| Apogee altitude | 653 km |
| Inclination | 6° |
| Period | 97.61 minutes |
| Instruments | |
| Polarimeter Instrument in X-rays (POLIX) X-ray Spectroscopy and Timing (XSPECT) | |
XPoSat Logo | |
The X-ray Polarimeter Satellite (XPoSat) is an Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)-manufactured space observatory to study polarisation of cosmic X-rays. It was launched on 1 January 2024 on a PSLV rocket, and it has an expected operational lifespan of at least five years.
The telescope was developed by the Raman Research Institute (RRI) in close collaboration with the U R Rao Satellite Centre (URSC). Per ISRO, this mission will complement the efforts of US space agency NASA, which launched its Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) in 2021 by observing space events across a broad energy range of 2–30 keV.