ISRO has come up with an upcoming solar mission named 'Aditya-L1'. This mission aims at comprehensive study of the Sun and the solar orbits, the mission constitutes deployment of the Aditya-L1 spacecraft which is equipped with seven distinct payloads for comprehensive solar study.
India's ambitious space exploration after the success of Chandrayaan 3 now turns its focus to the Sun. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has officially revealed that its inaugural solar mission ‘Aditya-L1’ is scheduled for launch on September 2 at 11:50 am from the Sriharikota space centre.
ISRO's Aditya-L1 mission aims to capture observations of the solar corona. The spacecraft will be positioned at the Sun-Earth Lagrange point L1, situated approximately 1.5 million kilometres away from Earth. The Lagrange points were conceptualized by French mathematician Joseph-Louis Lagrange in the 18th century which represent positions in space where the gravitational forces between two significant celestial bodies such as the Sun and Earth will achieve equilibrium. This equilibrium results in a stable region in which a spacecraft’s fuel consumption gets reduced.
The strategic placement of a satellite in a halo orbit around the L1 point presents a remarkable advantage: It gives an unobstructed view of the Sun without the interference of eclipses. This unique vantage point enables real-time observation of solar activities and their impacts on space weather.
Aditya-L1 which will be propelled by the PSLV-C57 rocket shall mark India's first step into space-based solar observation. This mission has been devised to delve into the Sun's upper atmosphere specifically the chromosphere and corona, while also investigating their interactions with the solar wind. The primary focus lies in comprehending the physics of the partially ionized plasma in the solar atmosphere.
The mission encompasses multifaceted objectives which include the investigation of the mechanisms responsible for heating the solar corona. Scientists have laid down guidelines for studying the characterization of the magnetic field in the solar corona and the evaluation of pivotal contributors to space weather.
The Aditya-L1 spacecraft is equipped with seven payloads that will facilitate in-depth solar scrutiny across various layers – the corona, chromosphere, photosphere and the solar wind. These comprehensive payloads aim to unravel mysteries pertaining to coronal heating, coronal mass ejections, solar flare dynamics, space weather patterns, particle propagation and the magnetic field behaviour.
Along with these payloads there are also four remote sensing instruments which are enabled to capture solar atmosphere imagery in distinct wavelengths – visible, ultraviolet and X-rays. The Visible Emission Line Coronagraph (VELC) will closely examine the solar corona and its dynamics, the Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (SUIT) will capture images of the photosphere and chromosphere in both narrow & ultraviolet wavelengths and the Solar Low Energy X-ray Spectrometer (SoLEXS) and the High Energy L1 Orbiting X-ray Spectrometer (HEL1OS) are dedicated to studying the Sun's X-ray emissions, both soft and hard respectively.
As ISRO prepares to unveil the mysteries of the Sun's enigmatic corona, the Aditya-L1 mission sets a perfect example for India's relentless pursuit of scientific discovery and technological innovation in the field of space exploration.
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