ISRO Launches India's First X-Ray Satellite, XPoSat, For Black Hole Research

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully launched India's first X-Ray Polarimeter Satellite, also known as XPoSat, that would offer insights into celestial objects like black holes.

The launch took place aboard a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on Monday.

A black hole forms when matter collapses under its own gravity, creating a region where even light cannot escape. These cosmic entities result from the explosive end of massive stars, some growing to sizes billions of times that of our Sun.

With an aim to conduct in-depth research on black holes, the XPoSat is estimated to have a lifespan of five years.

Besides the ISRO, the US-based National Aeronautics Space Agency (NASA) also conducted a similar study, called the Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer mission, in December 2021.

ISRO chairman S Somanath has announced that the space agency will carry out at least 12 launches this year, surpassing previous records.