IXPE Spacecraft Undergoes Final Checkout at Ball Facility

A Ball Aerospace engineer checks out the Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer spacecraft at Ball test facilities in Boulder, Colorado. IXPE measures the polarization of cosmic X-rays to further understanding of the fundamental physics of extreme and exotic objects in the universe, including black holes and exploded stars. IXPE launched Dec. 9 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. IXPE is a collaboration between NASA and the Italian Space Agency with partners and science collaborators in 12 countries. IXPE is led by Marshall Space Flight Center. Ball Aerospace, headquartered in Broomfield, Colorado, manages spacecraft operations together with the University of Colorado's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics in Boulder. Learn more at https://nasa.gov/ixpe.