CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket lifted off early Thursday from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, WFTV is reporting. NASA said the rocket is carrying its new space telescope, the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE), which will provide information about supernova remnants, black holes and other “high-energy objects.”
>> PHOTOS: SpaceX launches NASA IXPE telescope
Social media users are sharing their photos of the launch with the hashtags #SpaceX, #NASA and #IXPE. Here are some of our favorites:
1. @malcolmdenemark, Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/p/CXQPts8OBdQ/
2. @mdcainjr, Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/p/CXQN4rFu20G/
3. @booster_buddies, Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/p/CXQTvxOu0Cd/
4. @astronaut_87, Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/p/CXQVJMEu__b/
5. @_benjamincairns, Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/p/CXQSqcnufjZ/
6. @fdsi_photography, Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/p/CXQLXHbro7j/
7. @theresacross_, Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/p/CXQS5pGubnW/
8. @mseeley20, Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/p/CXQJcSnLL3b/
9. @_mgde_, Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/p/CXQIUiRr3OL/
10. @chriskridler, Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/p/CXQKM1BObuw/
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches with NASA’s Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) spacecraft onboard from Launch Complex 39A on Thursday, Dec. 9, 2021, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The IXPE spacecraft is the first satellite dedicated to measuring the polarization of X-rays from a variety of cosmic sources, such as black holes and neutron stars.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches with NASA’s Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) spacecraft onboard from Launch Complex 39A on Thursday, Dec. 9, 2021, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches with NASA’s Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) spacecraft onboard from Launch Complex 39A on Thursday, Dec. 9, 2021, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches with NASA’s Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) spacecraft onboard from Launch Complex 39A on Thursday, Dec. 9, 2021, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches with NASA’s Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) spacecraft onboard from Launch Complex 39A on Thursday, Dec. 9, 2021, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches with NASA’s Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) spacecraft onboard from Launch Complex 39A on Thursday, Dec. 9, 2021, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches with NASA’s Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) spacecraft onboard from Launch Complex 39A on Thursday, Dec. 9, 2021, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying NASA’s Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) spacecraft is seen at sunset on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A on Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2021, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying NASA’s Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) spacecraft is seen at sunset on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A on Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2021, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying NASA’s Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) spacecraft is seen on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A on Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2021, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.