The XpoSat is India's first dedicated polarimetry mission to study the 50 brightest known astronomical sources in extreme conditions

With only a few days left for 2024 to arrive, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is at the final stage of launching the country's first X-Ray Polarimeter Satellite (XPoSat). The launch will happen on January 1, 2024 and the satellite will lift off at 9:10 am using a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).

ISRO shared pictures of the mission ahead of the launch, which will be a crucial moment in India's space research journey.

The XpoSat is India's first dedicated polarimetry mission to study the 50 brightest known astronomical sources in extreme conditions, including black hole X-ray binaries, non-thermal supernova remnants, neutron stars, active galactic nuclei, and pulsars. The satellite will be placed in a circular low Earth orbit of 500–700 km, with a mission lifespan of at least five years.

"The polarimetric observations along with spectroscopic measurements are expected to break the degeneracy of various theoretical models of astronomical emission processes. This would be the major direction of research from XPoSat by Indian science community," the ISRO said in a statement.

The XPoSat mission is expected to break new ground in our understanding of the universe. The polarimetry measurements will add two more dimensions—degree and angle of polarisation—to the existing spectroscopic and timing data, helping in resolving ambiguities in current diagnostic processes to understand the emission processes from astronomical sources.

Developed by the Raman Research Institute (RRI) in collaboration with UR Rao Satellite Centre (URSC), these instruments are expected to offer new insights into the physics of celestial objects.