CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — SpaceX efficiently launched its twenty eighth rocket of the yr early Thursday morning (Dec. 9), ferrying an X-ray observatory into space for NASA.
A used Falcon 9 rocket blasted off at 1 a.m. (0600 GMT) from Pad 39A right here at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE). The mission marked the fifth flight for this specific booster.
“Liftoff of Falcon 9 and IXPE, a new set of X-ray eyes to view the mysteries of our skies,” NASA TV’s launch commentator Derrol Nail stated throughout a stay webcast of the launch.
Related: Our X-Ray universe: Amazing photos by NASA’s Chandra X-Ray Observatory
The IXPE satellite, which is roughly the dimensions of a fridge, is a $214 million greenback mission that goals to probe the physics behind a number of the universe’s most dynamic objects: black holes and neutron stars. Astronomers are hoping that this satellite shall be a brand new instrument at their disposal to probe the mysteries of the universe.
Equipped with three similar telescopes, IXPE will research the polarization of sunshine (that means how a light-weight wave oscillates relative to the path of the wave) from a number of the universe’s most dramatic cosmic sources. Astronomers will have the ability to refine the construction and research the mechanisms that energy some of these enigmatic cosmic objects.
“What polarization tells us depends on the source,” Martin Weisskopf, IXPE principal investigator informed Space.com throughout a prelaunch information convention on Dec. 7. “Black holes, for instance, don’t have a lot of properties but you can measure the spin by looking at the variation in the polarimetry of X-rays emanating from these sources.”
IXPE will be a part of the ranks of NASA’s different X-ray observing satellites, just like the Chandra Space Telescope, which orbits a lot larger than IXPE will. Chandra is an imaging satellite that takes fairly footage of X-ray sources, whereas IXPE will focus solely on the polarimetry of sunshine.
It’s first goal shall be Crab nebula, which is the remnant of a useless star. IXPE is designed to take a look at very dramatic targets, and the remnants of a stellar explosion is the proper topic to begin with. Weisskopf defined in a prelaunch information convention on Dec. 7 that contained in the Crab Nebula is a lighthouse-like pulsing beacon, which is definitely the corpse of the star that created the nebula.
The polarimetry of the sunshine emanating from the pulsar has been measured earlier than however not on this element.
Related: SpaceX’s most-flown Falcon 9 rocket is a sooty veteran after 10 launches and landings (photos)
Thursday’s flight additionally marks the second rocket launch from Cape Canaveral this week. Early Tuesday morning (Dec. 7), an Atlas V rocket blasted off from an adjacent launch pad, carrying a mixture of payloads into space for the U.S. authorities.
This veteran launcher, known as B1061, has carried eight astronauts into space as a part of NASA’s first two long-duration missions (Crew-1 and Crew-2), a total of three completely different Dragon spacecraft, together with a cargo mission in August, and a broadband satellite for Sirius XM.
Thursday’s pre-dawn flight marks the 131st total flight of a Falcon 9 and the twenty eighth Falcon 9 to fly in 2021. This beats SpaceX’s document for probably the most rockets launched in a single yr — the corporate launched 26 in 2020 — with two extra launches on the schedule earlier than the top of this yr.
Following a profitable liftoff, the rocket’s first stage landed on one of many firm’s three huge drone ships, which function floating touchdown pads. Named “Just Read the Instructions,” the drone ship was ready out within the Atlantic Ocean to catch the booster and haul it again to port to fly once more.
The IXPE satellite is the smallest devoted payload to fly on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Originally slated to fly on a Pegasus rocket, the refrigerator-sized satellite switched launch vehicles, permitting NASA to shave a pair million {dollars} off the worth tag.
The mission is the 98th launch organized by NASA’s Launch Services Program (LSP), since its inception in 1998, and the fifth LSP launch for SpaceX. It’s additionally the primary LSP launch to blast off from NASA’s historic Pad 39A.
“We are thrilled to play a very small part in this incredible science mission,” Tim Dunn, director of NASA’s LSP, which matches payloads with rocket launchers, informed Space.com. “It’s our fifth mission to ride on a Falcon 9 and the first to launch from NASA property.”
Dunn informed Space.com that sometimes LSP lets the launch supplier decide the launch pad a mission launches from if the corporate has a number of choices, however on this case Pad 39A was the proper match. That’s as a result of it has a great water suppression system that may assist mitigate the launch results from the rocket, serving to to maintain the IXPE satellite protected on its approach to orbit.
Dunn, together with Juliana Scheiman, SpaceX’s director of civil satellite missions, stated that IXPE’s supposed orbit is admittedly placing the Falcon 9 by its paces. That’s as a result of IXPE has to fly over the equator, in a decrease orbit, to defend itself from extra radiation publicity that it might obtain in larger orbits and to be nearer to the bottom stations will probably be speaking with. To that finish, it has to conduct a “dog-leg” maneuver, that means it has to alter orbital planes after launch, going from a 28.5-degree inclination to a 0.2-degree equatorial orbit.
The touchdown marked the fifth profitable landing for this specific booster and the 97th total touchdown of a Falcon 9 rocket since 2015. In addition to recovering the rocket’s first stage, SpaceX will even retrieve the payload fairings (aka the rocket’s nostril cone) which shield the payload because the rocket soars by the ambiance.
One of SpaceX’s restoration ships will pluck the fairings from the ocean to allow them to be returned to port, refurbished, and flown once more.
Up subsequent for SpaceX is the launch of a communications satellite for Turkey in addition to a cargo resupply mission for NASA. Those launches are slated to blast off on Dec. 18 and Dec. 21, respectively, to cap off a busy month right here on the space coast.
Follow Amy Thompson on Twitter @astrogingersnap. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook.
