After successfully landing spacecraft on the moon’s South
Pole, India is now aiming for the Sun. The Indian Space Research Organisation
(ISRO) is now gearing up for its maiden solar mission, Aditya-L1. ISRO chief S
Somanath on Saturday shared major updates on the mission, saying that Aditya-L1
is ready and will be launched in the first week of September.
“We are planning to launch in the first week of September,”
said ISRO chairman S. Somanath.
On August 14, Aditya-L1’s satellite arrived at Satish Dhawan
Space Centre (SDSC-SHAR) in Sriharikota from UR Rao Satellite Centre (URSC) in
Bengaluru, where it was developed. ISRO shared the update on X (formerly
Twitter).
Initially, Aditya-L1 was slated to launch on August 26, but
as per the latest update, the mission will now be launched in the first week of
September.
What Aditya-L1’s mission is all about?
Aditya-L1 will be India’s first space-based mission to study
the Sun. The spacecraft of Aditya-L1 will be placed in a halo orbit around the
Lagrange Point 1 (L1) of the Sun-Earth system, which is about 1.5 million km
from the Earth.
Lagrange Points are positions in space where the
gravitational forces of a two-body system the Sun and Earth produce enhanced
regions of attraction and repulsion. These points are used by spacecraft as
‘parking spots’ in space to remain in a fixed position with minimal fuel
consumption.
It aims to study solar winds, which can cause disturbance on
Earth and are commonly seen as “auroras”.
When will Aditya-L1 mission be launched?
The satellite is ready and has already reached Sriharikota,
but the final date for the launch of Aditya-L1 will be announced in two days,
ISRO chief S Somanath has said.
The event is expected to take place in the first week of
September, with the space agency targeting a September 2 launch.
What are the objectives of Aditya-L1?
With Aditya-L1, ISRO aims to observe solar activities more
closely and their effect on space weather in real-time. The mission will study
the solar upper atmospheric dynamics of the corona and chromosphere.
The spacecraft will carry seven payloads to observe the
photosphere, chromospheres and the outermost layers of the Sun using
electromagnetic particle and magnetic field detectors.
Using the special vantage point L1, four payloads directly
view the Sun and the remaining three payloads carry out in-situ studies of
particles and fields at the Lagrange point L1, thus providing critical
scientific studies of the propagatory effect of solar dynamics in the
interplanetary medium.
- Agencies
