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Here are some fun facts you may not know about NASA's Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) mission: IXPE will study targets over a broad range of types of astronomical X-ray sources with emphasis on black holes and neutron stars. The mission will accomplish, for the first time, high-sensitivity measurements of the polarization of X-rays coming …

Tune in to NASA Television, the NASA app, or the agency's website, starting in about 10 minutes (12:30 a.m. EST), for live broadcast coverage of NASA's Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) mission. Liftoff, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy's Launch Complex 39A, is targeted for 1 a.m. EST. The Launch is managed by NASA's Launch …

Here is a look at some of the key milestones for today's IXPE launch: Mission Timeline (all times approximate) LAUNCH AND SPACECRAFT DEPLOYMENT Time Events 1 a.m. EST Liftoff T+153 sec First stage main engine cutoff (MECO) T+156 sec First and second stages separate T+164 sec Second stage engine start 1 …

The weather outlook for today's early morning launch of NASA's Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) spacecraft from Kennedy Space Center is terrific. Weather officials with Cape Canaveral Space Force Station's 45th Weather Squadron predict a 90% chance of favorable conditions for liftoff, with the cumulus cloud rule serving as the primary weather concern. A collaboration …

NASA's Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) mission sounds cool, and even has a catchy name. But what is IXPE's goal and how did the project come about? Here is a more in-depth look at IXPE, NASA's first satellite dedicated to measuring X-ray polarization. IXPE is going to explore some of the most extreme and mysterious …

Happy late Wednesday evening, and welcome to live coverage of NASA's Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) spacecraft mission from Florida's Space Coast! Standing tall atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, IXPE is set to lift off from Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39A in just about 90 minutes (1 a.m. EST, Thursday, Dec. 9). The …

Float with NASA's Fleet at Lagrange Point 1! Greetings from Lagrange Point 1, or L1, the 6th stop on our solar tour! This is a special place between Earth and the Sun where their gravitational forces are balanced. It's a great spot for spacecraft because they'll stay put between the two objects and orbit with …

66 Soyuz Launch/Dock: 66S successfully launched at 1:38 AM CT this morning from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin will lead Japanese spaceflight participants Yusaku Maezawa and Yozo Hirano on this mission.  The vehicle docked at Mini-Research Module 2 (MRM-2) at 7:40 AM CT. The ISS crew complement has increased to ten crewmembers and …

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. …

NASA plans to conduct additional ground tests on an engineering model of the Lucy solar array motor and lanyard prior to potentially attempting full deployment of one of the probe's solar arrays. A project team completed an assessment Dec. 1 of the ongoing solar array issue, which did not appear to fully deploy as planned …