Created 9-Dec-21
Modified 13-Dec-23
Excerps from SpaceX and NASA:
"On Thursday, December 9 at 1:00 a.m. EST, Falcon 9 launched NASA’s Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) to low Earth orbit from historic Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida."
"The Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) exploits the polarization state of light from astrophysical sources to provide insight into our understanding of X-ray production in objects such as neutron stars and pulsar wind nebulae, as well as stellar and supermassive black holes."
Following stage separation, the Falcon 9 booster touched down on SpaceX’s drone ship Just Read The Instructions, positioned several hundred miles offshore.
Photos taken from SR 528 causeway, about 14 miles away.
© Dennis Huff
