India launches space mission to explore the secrets of black holes in space

•  ISRO has launched the X-ray Polarimeter Satellite.
• This mission marks the world’s second mission of its kind.
• The launch took place on Monday at 09:10 local time.

India’s space agency has triumphantly sent a rocket into space, carrying an observatory designed to investigate celestial phenomena such as black holes.

The launch took place on Monday at 09:10 local time from the Sriharikota spaceport. This marks the world’s second mission of its kind, with NASA initiating a similar one in 2021.

The primary goal, as stated by the space agency, is to contribute to the advancement of scientists’ understanding of black holes.

“We will have an exciting time ahead,” Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) chairperson S Somanath said after the launch.

A black hole is a space region where matter collapses under its gravity, creating an incredibly strong gravitational pull from which nothing, including light, can escape.

India’s space agency, ISRO, has launched the X-ray Polarimeter Satellite (XPoSat) to delve into extensive research on black holes. This satellite, built at a cost of approximately 250 million rupees ($30 million; £23.5 million), is expected to operate for five years.

ISRO has had a remarkable year, with the successful touchdown of its Moon mission Chandrayaan-3 near the lunar South Pole in August, a location never reached before. Shortly afterward, it launched Aditya-L1, its inaugural observation mission directed towards the Sun.

Monday’s launch is just one of many projects ISRO has in store for the coming year, reflecting the agency’s ongoing commitment to advancing space exploration.

“2024 is going to be the year for Gaganyaan readiness,” Mr Somnath said, referring to the project which aims to send three astronauts into low-Earth orbit and bring them back after three days.

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