XPOSAT India’s maiden satellite dedicated to studying polarized and spectroscopic emissions in cosmic X-ray sources. Weighing less than 20 kgs, this compact spacecraft hosts two aligned scientific payloads in low Earth orbit – POLIX and XSPECT. Together, these instruments enable novel polarization and spectroscopic analyses of bright cosmic X-ray sources down to remarkable precision. About XSPECT: The XSPECT instrument aboard XPoSat facilitates both spectral and timing studies of soft X-ray emissions from exotic celestial objects. It harnesses the extended monitoring opportunities offered by the polarimetry-focused POLIX payload to examine long-term behavior patternsFurther background noise reduction occurs through narrow-field passive collimators.Targeted source categories include x-ray pulsars, black hole binaries, certain neutron stars, active galactic nuclei and magnetars.By synergizing with POLIX surveys, XSPECT aims to uncover intriguing physics behind observed flux variances across magnetized and high-energy environments in our dynamic cosmos.As part of early orbit checks, the XSPECT payload imaged Cassiopeia A, a reference celestial object. The instrument captured the expanding shell of gas from the supernova explosion including signatures of constituent elements – a promising start. Cassieopia is the strongest radio wave source in the sky beyond our solar system, located around 11,000 light years from Earth in the Cassiopeia constellation. It is the remnant from a supernova generated by a massive collapsing star, with light from the explosion estimated to have reached Earth between 1662-1700 AD.
