NASA’s Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) Mission

Q Why is it in News ?

A NASA has launched a new mission named Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer or IXPE.

Q What are some details about IXPE ?

A 

• IXPE observatory is a joint effort of NASA and the Italian Space Agency.
• The mission will study “the most extreme and mysterious objects in the universe – supernova remnants, supermassive black holes, and dozens of other high-energy objects.”
• The mission’s primary length is two years and the observatory will be at 600 kilometers altitude, orbiting around Earth’s equator.
• IXPE is expected to study about 40 celestial objects in its first year in space.

Q What are the instruments onboard?

A 

• IXPE carries three state-of-the-art space telescopes.
• Each of the three identical telescopes hosts one light-weight X-ray mirror and one detector unit.
• These will help observe polarized X-rays from neutron stars and supermassive black holes.
• By measuring the polarization of these X-rays, we can study where the light came from and understand the geometry and inner workings of the light source.
• This new mission will complement other X-ray telescopes such as the Chandra X-ray Observatory and the European Space Agency’s X-ray observatory, XMM-Newton.

Q Why is it important?

A The mission will help scientists answer questions such as:

• How do black holes spin.
• Was the black hole at the center of the Milky Way actively feeding on surrounding material in the past.
• How do pulsars shine so brightly in X-rays.
• What powers the jets of energetic particles that are ejected from the region around the supermassive black holes at the centers of galaxies.