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IXPE (Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer)

Viewing Posts from December 2021

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    NASA’s IXPE’s Launch Boosted by Experience

    SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and IXPE spacecraft

    The rocket booster that will power NASA's Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) spacecraft into the sky from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in just a matter of hours has been there many times before. "This booster has launched eight astronauts, three dragon capsules and one geostationary spacecraft," said Julianna Scheiman, SpaceX's director of civil satellite missions. …

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    IXPE Launch Broadcast Early Thursday, NASA EDGE Show Today

    Falcon 9 rocket and IXPE spacecraft at the launch pad

    Live coverage of NASA's Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) spacecraft launch from the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida begins at 12:30 a.m. EST on Thursday, Dec. 9. Tune in to NASA Television, the NASA app, or the agency's website for a live broadcast – or stay right here for a live blog to take you through …

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    Launch Readiness Review Concludes: IXPE a ‘Go’ for Thursday

    SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with NASA's IXPE spacecraft

    Teams from NASA and SpaceX completed a launch readiness review ahead of NASA's Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) mission. The result: launch teams are a "go" for liftoff of NASA's first satellite dedicated to measuring X-ray polarization. IXPE is scheduled to launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39A on Thursday, Dec. …

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    NASA’s IXPE Rolls out to Launch Pad at Kennedy

    IXPE rollout at Kennedy Space Center

    NASA's Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) spacecraft, atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, rolled out of Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39A hangar to the launch pad on Tuesday, Dec. 7, at 12:46 p.m. EST. The rocket and spacecraft are expected to go vertical this evening. NASA's first mission dedicated to measuring X-ray polarization, IXPE …

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    Watch NASA Coverage of IXPE Events Today

    NASA's Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer spacecraft

    NASA will provide coverage of today's prelaunch activities for the agency's Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) spacecraft, targeted to lift off aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39A on Thursday, Dec. 9, at 1 a.m. EST. The launch is managed by NASA's Launch Services Program, based at Kennedy. Today's …

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    Weather Improves to 90% Favorable for Thursday’s IXPE Launch

    NASA's Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE)

    The weather outlook for Thursday's early morning launch of NASA's Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) spacecraft from Kennedy Space Center bumped up in a positive direction. Weather officials with Cape Canaveral Space Force Station's 45th Weather Squadron now predict a 90% chance of favorable conditions for liftoff, increasing by 10% from a day ago. The …

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    Weather 80% Favorable for Thursday’s IXPE Launch

    Weather officials with Cape Canaveral Space Force Station's 45th Weather Squadron predict an 80% chance of favorable weather conditions for Thursday's early morning launch of NASA's Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) spacecraft from the Space Coast, with the cumulus cloud rule and thick cloud layer rule serving as the primary weather concerns. IXPE is scheduled …

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    Spacecraft, Rocket Come Together for IXPE Mission

    IXPE spacecraft encapsulation

    NASA's Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) spacecraft recently eclipsed multiple key milestones at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Following a series of "aliveness" tests to verify the health of the spacecraft, teams mated the structure to the payload adapter – a ring that interfaces between the spacecraft and the top of the rocket. …

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    IXPE Undergoing Final Processing in Preparation for Spacecraft Mate

    IXPE spacecraft arrives at Kennedy Space Center

    Weeks of work are paying off for engineers and technicians from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida who have been preparing the agency's Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) spacecraft since its arrival by truck from Ball Aerospace in Boulder, Colorado, to Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Nov. 5, 2021. Important activities continue …

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