This unaltered story was originally published by U.S. NASA Space Agency.

This unaltered story was originally published by U.S. NASA Space Agency.
URL: https://www.nasa.gov
Content is in public domain.

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NASA’s IXPE Mission Nears Liftoff – Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE)

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Date: 2021-12-09 00:00:00

In just about 10 minutes, the Falcon 9 rocket’s nine Merlin engines will roar to life, sending SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and NASA’s Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) spacecraft into space. The rocket has been fueled with liquid oxygen and RP-1 – rocket-grade kerosene. The Falcon 9’s engines are chilling in preparation for launch.

Excitement is building as IXPE, NASA’s first dedicated mission to measuring X-ray polarization, nears launch. IXPE will study changes in the polarization of X-ray light through some of the universe’s most extreme sources, including black holes, dead stars known as pulsars, and more.

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[1] Url: https://blogs.nasa.gov/ixpe/2021/12/09/nasas-ixpe-mission-nears-liftoff/

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