India's first X-ray polarimeter satellite

• India's first X-ray Polarimeter satellite (XPoSat) will be launched by Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota.

• Its purpose is to investigate the polarization of intense X-ray sources.

• However, space-based X-ray astronomy has become established in India.

• It primarily focuses on imaging, time-domain studies and spectroscopy, with the upcoming XPoSat mission marking a major value addition in this.

• This research, complementing traditional time and frequency domain studies, introduces a new dimension to X-ray astronomy, generating anticipation and excitement within the scientific community.

• The XPoSat spacecraft carrying two scientific payloads is designated for observations from low Earth orbit.

• The names of these two payloads are POLIX (Polarimeter Instrument in X-ray) and XSPECT (X-ray Spectroscopy and Timing).

• With these two payloads, the XPoSat mission is able to simultaneously study the temporal, spectral, and polarization characteristics of bright X-ray sources.