CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida – SpaceX successfully launched its 28th rocket of the year Thursday morning (December 9), sending the X-ray observatory into space for NASA.
used Falcon 9. rocket Take off at 1 a.m. (0600 GMT) from Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida carrying the Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE). The mission is the fifth flight of this special reinforcement.
“Falcon 9 and IXPE take off, a new set of X-ray eyes to see the mysteries of our sky,” NASA TV launch commentator Derol Nile said during the launch’s live webcast.
Related: Our X-Ray World: Stunning Images by NASA’s Chandra X-Ray Observatory
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The IXPE satellite, the size of a refrigerator, is worth $214 million and aims to explore the physics behind some of the most dynamic things in the universe: black hole And neutron star. Astronomers hope this satellite will be their new tool for exploring the secrets of the universe.
Equipped with three identical telescopes, IXPE will study the polarization of light (meaning how light waves oscillate relative to the direction of the waves) from some of the most dramatic cosmic sources. Astronomers will be able to fine-tune the structure and study the mechanisms that underpin this type of mysterious cosmic object.
“What polarization says depends on the source,” Martin Weisskopf, principal investigator at IXPE told Space.com during a press conference earlier on Dec. 7. “For example, black holes don’t have many properties but you can measure them. rotating by looking at the variation in the polarimetry of the X-rays emanating from these sources”.
IXPE will join the ranks of other NASA X-ray observation satellites, such as Chandra . Space Telescope, which spins well above the will of IXPE. Chandra is an imaging satellite that takes beautiful images of X-ray sources, while IXPE focuses solely on measuring the polarization of light.
The first target is the Crab Nebula, the remains of a dead star. IXPE is designed to look at very interesting targets, and the remnants of stellar explosions are the perfect target to start with. Weisskopf explained at a press conference earlier on December 7 that within the Crab Nebula lies a pulsating lighthouse-like flare, which is actually the body of the star that created the nebula.
The polarization of light emitted by pulsars has been previously measured, but not in detail.
Related: SpaceX’s most-flying Falcon 9 rocket is veteran after 10 launches and landings (pictured)
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Thursday’s flight marked the second rocket launch from Cape Canaveral this week. Early Tuesday (December 7), Atlas V . rocket Launched from the nearest launch pad, carries mixed payloads in space for the United States government.
This veteran launch launcher, called B1061, has carried eight astronauts into space as part of NASA’s first two long missions (Crew-1 and Crew-2), a total of three different Dragon spacecraft, including the August cargo mission, the Industrial mission. Wide range moon for Sirius XM.
Thursday’s pre-dawn flight marked the 131st total flight for the Falcon 9 and 28th Falcon 9 in 2021. That beat SpaceX’s record for most rockets launched in one year—the company launched 26 in 2020—with two launches. before the end of this year.
After a successful takeoff, the first stage of the rocket landed on one of the company’s three large unmanned vessels, which served as a floating landing platform. Drones called “read only instructions” are waiting in the Atlantic to catch the booster and bring it back to port to fly again.
The IXPE satellite is the smallest payload destined to fly on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. It was originally intended to fly on a Pegasus rocket, a refrigerator the size of a satellite. swap launch vehicle, allowing NASA to deduct several million dollars from its price.
The mission was the 98th launch organized by NASA’s Launch Services Program (LSP), since its inception in 1998, and the fifth LSP launch for SpaceX. This is also the first LSP launch to be launched Historic NASA Pad 39A.
“We’re excited to play such a small role in this incredible science mission,” Tim Dunn, director of NASA’s LSP, which matches payloads to rocket launchers, told Space.com. “This is our fifth mission to board a Falcon 9 aircraft and the first to launch from NASA property.”
Dunn told Space.com that LSPs typically allow launch providers to choose which launcher to launch a mission if the company has multiple options, but in this case, the Pad 39A is the perfect match. This is because it has an excellent water suppression system that will help reduce the launch effect of the rocket, helping to keep the IXPE satellite safe on its way into orbit.
And, along with Julianna Schiemann, director of civilian satellite missions at SpaceX, said the intended orbit for IXPE really set Falcon 9 in its stride. This is because IXPE must fly above the equator, in a lower orbit, to protect itself from the excess radiation it will receive in higher orbits and closer to the ground stations it will communicate with. To this end, it must perform a “dog paw” maneuver, which means it must change the plane of the orbit after launch, from an inclination of 28.5 degrees to an equatorial orbit of 0.2 degrees.
The landing marked the fifth successful landing of this special booster and the 97th total landing of a Falcon 9 rocket since 2015. In addition to restoring the rocket’s first stage, SpaceX will also restore the payload aerodynamics (also known as the rocket nose cone) protecting the rocket. Where the rocket rises into the atmosphere.
One of SpaceX’s recovery ships will haul light from the ocean so it can be brought back to port, refurbished, and transported again.
Next up for SpaceX is the launch of a communications satellite for Turkey as well as a cargo supply mission for NASA. The launches are scheduled for December 18 and December 21, respectively, closing a busy month on the Space Coast.
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