In a remarkable start to New Year 2024 , the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Monday successfully launched its maiden X-Ray Polarimeter Satellite that would offer several insights into celestial objects like black holes.
ISRO's ever reliable Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) in its C58 mission, placed the primary X-Ray Polarimeter satellite XPoSat into a 650 Km Low Earth Orbit as intended after lifting off at the pre-fixed time of 9.10 am from the first launch pad in Andhra Pradesh's Sriharikota.
XPoSat (X-ray Polarimeter Satellite) is India's first dedicated polarimetry mission to study various dynamics of bright astronomical X-ray sources in extreme conditions.
Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh lauded the Indian space agency and expressed pride in being associated with the Department of Space "at a time when Team ISRO continues to accomplish one success after the other."
#ISRO begins 2024 in Style!
January 1, 2024
Successful launch of PSLV-C58/ 🛰 XPoSat Mission.
Proud to be associated with the Department of Space at a time when Team @isro continues to accomplish one success after the other, with the personal intervention & patronage from PM Sh @narendramodi. pic.twitter.com/cisbjpUYpHNetizens joined in, congratulating ISRO and its scientists for the monumental achievement. One user highlighted the succession of milestones achieved by ISRO, mentioning the previous successes with Chandrayaan 3 and the Aditya-L1 Mission.
Take a look at some of the posts on X:
@isro yet another historic Milestone created with the launch of X-ray Polimeter Satellite after Chandrayaan & Aditya Sun Mission #XPoSat @narendramodi @PMOIndia
January 1, 2024Another user commended ISRO's ability to achieve such feats within budgetary constraints, emphasising the agency's resourcefulness and dedication.
Pride of India: We launch rockets on a budget smaller than that of a Hollywood movie 🦾🇮🇳. Starting the new year with a launch! 🔥
December 31, 2023Here is the new year greeting card from ISRO to every Indian.
January 1, 2024
Launch successful! 🚀🚀🚀🚀 pic.twitter.com/4K47W9kvtvThis is how India started its 2024!
January 1, 2024
Isro launched PSLV-C58/XPoSat Mission.🫡🔥🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/vYa5kF1nhxYet another awesome successful launch! @isro has started the new year with another successful launch of #XPoSat 🎉 - I start my new year by showing you how its gonna do its experiment. Watch the orbital simulation of XPoSAT (hint: 0.5x for best exp) more info below 👇 pic.twitter.com/ZzbnwD9AwH
January 1, 2024Also we are on top of the orbital launches tally for 2024😂 https://t.co/piHImjppj2 pic.twitter.com/HIJbA6qW67
January 1, 2024According to ISRO, it is the first dedicated scientific satellite from the space agency to carry out research in space-based polarisation measurements of X-ray emission from celestial sources.
Emerging from the Mission Control Centre, ISRO Chairman S Somanath said, "Happy New Year to all of you. So on 1 January 2024, yet another successful mission of PSLV has been accomplished. PSLV-C58 has placed the primary satellite XPoSat in the desired orbit."
"From this point the orbit of PSLV 4th stage will be reduced to a lower orbit where the upper stage of PSLV which is described as POEM will carry out experiments with the onboard payloads and that will take some time," he added.
"Let me also announce the orbit that has been accomplished which is available through various routes, it shows excellent orbit and the deviations from the targeted orbit is hardly just 3km in a circular orbit of 650 km and the inclination is 001 degree which is one of the very excellent orbital condition and yet another announcement is that the solar panel of the satellite has been deployed successfully," Somanath, also the Secretary, Department of Space said.
(With PTI inputs)
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