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Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) Mission

On Thursday, December 9 at 1:00 a.m. EST, Falcon 9 launched NASA’s Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) to low Earth orbit from historic Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center...

Watch NASA's IXPE Observatory Launch Into Space — Official Live Broadcast

We're sending a new pair of X-ray eyes into the universe! NASA's Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) is our first satellite dedicated to measuring the polarization of X-rays. Polarized light is...

IXPE

Circle Image

Overview

Destination: Low Earth Orbit
Mission: Astrophysics

Low Earth Orbit Launch Complex 39A Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA Probability: 90%
B1061 - Just Read the Instructions

Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) is a space observatory tasked with measuring the polarization of cosmic X-rays. This data will help to learn more about objects that emit these X-rays, such as black holes and neutron stars.

Updates

Cosmic_Penguin • Dec. 9, 2021, 6:41 a.m.

Launch success



Nosu • Dec. 4, 2021, 5:13 p.m.

T-0 confirmed by NASA



Nosu • Oct. 19, 2021, 6:16 a.m.

Moving forward to December 9 and adding launch time.


Falcon 9

Family:
Configuration: Block 5

Falcon 9 is a two-stage rocket designed and manufactured by SpaceX for the reliable and safe transport of satellites and the Dragon spacecraft into orbit. The Block 5 variant is the fifth major interval aimed at improving upon the ability for rapid reusability.

See Details
Specifications
  • Stages
    2
  • Length
    70.0 m
  • Diameter
    3.65 m
  • Fairing Diameter
    5.2 m
  • Launch Mass
    549.0 T
  • Thrust
    7607.0 kN
Family
  • Name
    Falcon 9
  • Family
  • Variant
    Block 5
  • Alias
  • Full Name
    Falcon 9 Block 5
Payload Capacity
  • Launch Cost
    $52000000
  • Low Earth Orbit
    22800.0 kg
  • Geostationary Transfer Orbit
    8300.0 kg
  • Direct Geostationary
  • Sun-Synchronous Capacity

Booster Info


B1061

Status: Expended


Type: Core
Flight Proven: Yes
First Flight: November 16, 2020
Last Flight: October 7, 2024
Flights: 23
Landings Attempted: 22
Landings Successful: 22
Previous B1061 Flights

Landing Information

B1061 has landed on ASDS JRTI after its fifth flight.

Result: Successful Autonomous Spaceport Drone Ship landing at Just Read the Instructions.

SpaceX

SpaceX

(SpX)

CEO: Elon Musk Founded: 2002 Successes: 611 Failures: 15 Pending: 122

Agency Type:

Space Exploration Technologies Corp., known as SpaceX, is an American aerospace manufacturer and space transport services company headquartered in Hawthorne, California. It was founded in 2002 by entrepreneur Elon Musk with the goal of reducing space transportation costs and enabling the colonization of Mars. SpaceX operates from many pads, on the East Coast of the US they operate from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and historic LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center. They also operate from SLC-4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, usually for polar launches. Another launch site is being developed at Boca Chica, Texas.

INFO WIKI

Related News

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NASA's IXPE Measures White Dwarf Star for First Time

Huntsville AL (SPX) Jan 05, 2026 For the first time, scientists have used NASA's IXPE (Imaging X-ray Polarization Explorer) to study a white dwarf star. Using IXPE's unique X-ray polarization capability, astronomers examined a star ca…

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NASA’s IXPE Measures White Dwarf Star for First Time

By Michael Allen  For the first time, scientists have used NASA’s IXPE (Imaging X-ray Polarization Explorer) to study a white dwarf star. Using IXPE’s unique X-ray polarization capability, astronomers examined a star called the intermediat…

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NASA IXPE’s Longest Observation Solves Black Hole Jets Mystery

Written by Michael Allen An international team of astronomers using NASA’s IXPE (Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer) has identified the origin of X-rays in a supermassive black hole’s jet, answering a question that has been unresolved sinc…

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NASA IXPE’s ‘Heartbeat Black Hole’ Measurements Challenge Current Theories

Written by Michael Allen An international team of astronomers using NASA’s IXPE (Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer), has challenged our understanding of what happens to matter in the direct vicinity of a black hole. With IXPE, astronomers…

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NASA’s IXPE Imager Reveals Mysteries of Rare Pulsar

An international team of astronomers has uncovered new evidence to explain how pulsing remnants of exploded stars interact with surrounding matter deep in the cosmos, using observations from NASA’s IXPE (Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer)…

Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA

Launch Complex 39A


Long March 3B/E
Failure
17 hours, 5 minutes ago
Shijian 32
Launch Complex 2 (LC-2) - Xichang Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Chinese experimental spacecraft of unknown purposes.


Ceres-1S
Success
1 day, 13 hours ago
Tianqi 37-40
Rizhao offshore launch location - Haiyang Oriental Spaceport

4 small satellites for LEO Internet of Things (IoT) communication purposes.


Long March 2C
Success
2 days, 5 hours ago
AlSat 3A
Launch Area 94 (SLS-2 / 603) - Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Earth observation satellite built by China's CAST for the Algerian Space Agency.


Falcon 9
Success
2 days, 15 hours ago
Starlink Group 6-98
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

A batch of 29 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Long March 8A
Success
3 days, 18 hours ago
SatNet LEO Group 18
Commercial LC-1 - Wenchang Space Launch Site, People's Republic of China

A batch of 9 Low Earth Orbit communication satellites for the Chinese state owned SatNet constellation operated by the China Satellite Network Group.…


Long March 6A
Success
3 days, 19 hours ago
Yaogan 50-01
Launch Complex 9A - Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

The Yaogan 50-01 is a Chinese military “remote sensing” satellite of unknown purposes.


Falcon 9
Success
4 days, 12 hours ago
Starlink Group 6-97
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

A batch of 29 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


PSLV-DL
Failure
5 days, 5 hours ago
EOS-N1 and others
Satish Dhawan Space Centre First Launch Pad - Satish Dhawan Space Centre, India

Small Earth observation satellite from NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) for an "Indian strategic user", details TBD. This launch will also carry 18 o…


Falcon 9
Success
5 days, 20 hours ago
Pandora / Twilight rideshare mission
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

The Pandora small satellite was selected in 2021 as an inaugural mission in NASA’s Astrophysics Pioneers Program. It includes a 0.45-meter telescope …


Falcon 9
Success
1 week ago
Starlink Group 6-96
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

A batch of 29 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.