SpaceX launches NASA IXPE telescope: 10 photos shared on social media

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:

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1. @malcolmdenemark, Instagram

2. @mdcainjr, Instagram

3. @booster_buddies, Instagram

4. @astronaut_87, Instagram

5. @_benjamincairns, Instagram

6. @fdsi_photography, Instagram

7. @theresacross_, Instagram

8. @mseeley20, Instagram

9. @_mgde_, Instagram

10. @chriskridler, Instagram

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Photos: SpaceX launches NASA IXPE telescope 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. (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

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