NASA is about to launch a spacecraft to study black holes

SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket will carry NASA spacecraft and X-ray polarization observatory to observe the black hole in 2021.

NASA signed a contract with SpaceX to launch an advanced new astronomical station that helps scientists study in detail the most exotic objects in the universe. According to NASA, the spacecraft will carry the observatory Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) , designed to collect polarized light data from special phenomena such as black holes and neutron stars, polar objects Concentrated remains after big stars explode in supernova explosions.

Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) will be launched in 2021. (Photo: Futurism).

"We cannot directly capture what happens near objects such as black holes and neutron stars, but studying the polarization of X-rays emitted from their surroundings reveals the physical properties of these This object, " said Paul Hertz, NASA's astrophysics director.

IXPE also provides data for the study of active galactic nuclei, magnetic stars (a type of neutron star with an extremely strong magnetic field) and a pulsar star nebula (nebula inside the body of the supernova). The IXPE consists of three identical space telescopes equipped with ultra-sensitive detector technology that allows exploration of gravitational fields, electric fields and magnetic fields around objects. NASA contract signed with SpaceX worth 50.3 million USD, including the cost of Falcon 9 rocket launch.

Currently, IXPE is scheduled to be launched in April 2021 from the 39A complex at Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, Florida. NASA hopes the two-year IXPE project will help discover the origin and end of the universe, including the nature of black holes, dark energy, dark matter and gravity. The sensitivity of IXPE will be higher than the Orbiting Solar Observatory-8 telescope.