India has successfully launched its first solar mission, Aditya L1, on September 2, 2023, from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. The mission aims to study the Sun and its various peculiarities, such as the corona, the solar wind, the magnetic field, and the solar flares.
The Aditya L1 mission is a pioneering endeavor by ISRO, representing its lady solar-focused initiative. The essential goal is to achieve the Lagrangian Point (L1) inside the Sun-Earth system, which is around 1.5 million km from the Earth. As of now, the gravitational forces of the Sun and the Earth are adjusted, permitting the spacecraft to orbit around the Sun alongside the Earth.
The mission consists of a 1,480.7 kg spacecraft conveying seven scientific payloads, including a visible emission line coronagraph (VELC), a solar bright imaging telescope (SUIT), a solar low energy X-beam spectrometer (SoLEXS), a high energy L1 orbiting X-beam spectrometer (HEL1OS), an Aditya solar wind molecule try (ASPEX), a plasma analyser package for Aditya (PAPA), and a high level tri-pivotal high resolution digital magnetometer. These instruments will give remarkable observations of the Sun and its various layers, such as the photosphere, the chromosphere, and the corona.
The mission will also help in understanding the origin and evolution of the solar system, as well as the effect of solar activity on Earth’s climate and environment. The mission will also add to the progression of space science and technology in India and improve international collaboration in solar research.
The launch of Aditya L1 was completed by a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C57) in one of the longest launch missions that lasted 63 minutes. The PSLV-C57 put the spacecraft in a highly erratic Earth-bound orbit, from where it will continuously raise its apogee (farthest point from Earth) using its locally available propulsion system until it reaches the L1 point. The mission is supposed to have a nominal lifetime of five years.
The launch of Aditya L1 was hailed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who saluted ISRO and its scientists for accomplishing one more milestone in India’s space programme. He said that the mission will improve India’s knowledge and understanding of the Sun and its influence on our planet³. He also expressed his pride in India’s scientific prowess and advancement spirit.
ISRO Chairman S. Somanath also saluted the PSLV group for executing an alternate mission way to deal with put Aditya L1 in the right orbit. He said that the mission was trying because of the high speed expected to escape Earth’s gravity and arrive at the L1 point. He also expressed gratitude toward every one of the stakeholders, including the industry partners, academia, and different agencies for their support and collaboration in making the mission a success.
Aditya L1 is India’s latest accomplishment in space exploration, following the success of lunar mission Chandrayaan-3 prior this year. India has also arranged several other ambitious missions sooner rather than later, such as Gaganyaan (human spaceflight), Shukrayaan (Venus orbiter), Mangalyaan-2 (Mars orbiter), and NISAR (Earth observation satellite with NASA).
