The Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE): Pre-Launch

Kavli Affiliate: Herman L. Marshall

| First 5 Authors: Martin C. Weisskopf, Paolo Soffitta, Luca Baldini, Brian D. Ramsey, Stephen L. O’Dell

| Summary:

Scheduled to launch in late 2021, the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer
(IXPE) is a NASA Small Explorer Mission in collaboration with the Italian Space
Agency (ASI). The mission will open a new window of investigation – imaging
X-ray polarimetry. The observatory features 3 identical telescopes each
consisting of a mirror module assembly with a polarization-sensitive imaging
X-ray detector at the focus. A coilable boom, deployed on orbit, provides the
necessary 4-m focal length. The observatory utilizes a 3-axis-stabilized
spacecraft which provides services such as power, attitude determination and
control, commanding, and telemetry to the ground. During its 2-year baseline
mission, IXPE will conduct precise polarimetry for samples of multiple
categories of X-ray sources, with follow-on observations of selected targets.

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