NASA's newest X-ray telescope rockets into orbit
Last updated on: 10 December,2021 11:41 pm
NASA's newest X-ray telescope rockets into orbit
CAPE CANAVERAL (AP) — NASA’s newest X-ray observatory rocketed into orbit Thursday to shed light on exploded stars, black holes and other violent high-energy events unfolding in the universe. SpaceX launched the spacecraft on its $214 million mission from Kennedy Space Center. It’s called IXPE, short for Imaging X-ray Polarization Explorer.
Scientists said the observatory — actually three telescopes in one — will unveil the most dramatic and extreme parts of the universe as never before.
“IXPE is going to open a new window on the X-ray sky,” Brian Ramsey, NASA’s deputy principal scientist, said this week.
Operations should begin next month. NASA is partnering with the Italian Space Agency on the project.