CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — SpaceX successfully launched NASA’s Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) from the Kennedy Space Center overnight.
Liftoff! pic.twitter.com/v9VAb8UITL
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) December 9, 2021
The 90-minute launch window opened at 1 a.m., and the rocket launched as planned.
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The mission of the IXPE is to study neutron stars, pulsar winds and supermassive black holes.
All systems and weather are looking good ahead of tonight’s launch of IXPE for @NASA https://t.co/bJFjLCzWdK pic.twitter.com/tCYnBZKVB5
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) December 8, 2021
The launch marks the fifth flight for Falcon 9′s first-stage booster.
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Watch the launch below:
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