India on Monday launched its first satellite to study black holes as part of an ambitious space exploration project. The X-ray polarimetric satellite will make India the second country to study black holes and other celestial objects with its astronomical space observatory. NASA launched a similar mission in 2021 and has made unprecedented discoveries since then.

Black holes are huge amounts of matter squeezed into a very small area, consisting of the remnants of a massive star that collapsed as a result of a supernova explosion. Their gravity is so strong that light cannot pass through them, making them very difficult to detect.

Monday’s launch by the Indian Space Research Organization is part of the country’s broader space ambitions, which include sending three astronauts into low-Earth orbit and returning them three days later. If successful, India will be the fourth country to send humans into space; Currently, only Russia, the United States and China are conducting manned missions.

BBC reported that ISRO chairman S Somanath said that 2024 is the “Gaganyaan preparation year”, referring to the name of the manned launch project.

In August, India became the first country to land a spacecraft on the Moon’s south pole, and in September it launched a rocket to explore the Sun. India also wants to send an astronaut to the moon by 2040.