Blast off! India soars into 2024 with space mission to study black holes

Blast Off! India Launches Second-Ever Space Mission to Study Black Holes

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched the second-ever space mission to measure X-ray emissions from celestial sources including black holes on January 1. (Credit: ISRO via Storyful)

The new year started off brightly for India after the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) launched the second-ever space mission to measure X-ray emissions from celestial sources, including black holes.

The ISRO shared footage of the launch of the PSLV-C58/XPoSat Mission from Satish Dhawan Space Centre.

The U.S. is the first country to launch a specialized astronomical observatory to study black holes and other celestial bodies, according to local reports. India is the second.

"A great start to 2024 thanks to our scientists! This launch is wonderful news for the space sector and will enhance India’s prowess in this field. Best wishes to our scientists at @isro and the entire space fraternity in taking India to unprecedented heights," Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised on social media.

Storyful contributed to this report. This story was reported from Los Angeles.