The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched its Aditya L1 solar mission on September 2, 2023. The mission is India’s first solar mission and will study the Sun’s atmosphere and its effects on the Earth’s atmosphere and climate.
The Aditya L1 spacecraft was launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. It was carried on a PSLV-C57 rocket. The spacecraft successfully separated from the rocket and entered an elliptical orbit around the Earth. It will take about 109 days for the spacecraft to reach its final destination, a halo orbit around the Sun-Earth Lagrange point L1.
The Aditya L1 spacecraft is equipped with seven payloads that will study different aspects of the Sun. These payloads include:
- A visible emission line coronagraph (VLEC) to study the Sun’s corona
- A solar extreme ultraviolet spectrometer (SEUVS) to study the Sun’s extreme ultraviolet radiation
- A solar X-ray spectrometer (SXS) to study the Sun’s X-ray radiation
- A solar energetic particle (SEP) detector to study solar energetic particles
- A magnetometer to study the Sun’s magnetic field
- A plasma analyzer to study the Sun’s plasma
- A white light imager to take images of the Sun
The Aditya L1 mission is expected to last for five years. It is a significant step forward in India’s space program and will help us to better understand the Sun and its effects on our planet.
The successful launch of the Aditya L1 mission is a major achievement for ISRO and for India. It is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the scientists and engineers who have worked on this mission. The mission will provide valuable insights into the Sun and its effects on our planet, and it will help us to better understand space weather and its potential impacts.
