Following the successful landing of a spacecraft on the Moon’s South Pole, India is now setting its sights on a solar mission. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is preparing for its inaugural solar mission, Aditya-L1. Providing significant updates on the mission, ISRO’s chief, S Somanath, announced that Aditya-L1 is fully prepared and is scheduled for launch in the first week of September.
“We are planning to launch in the first week of September,” stated ISRO chairman S. Somanath.
On August 14, the satellite for Aditya-L1 arrived at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC-SHAR) in Sriharikota from the UR Rao Satellite Centre (URSC) in Bengaluru, where it was developed. ISRO communicated this development via X (formerly Twitter).
Initially slated for launch on August 26, the Aditya-L1 mission’s launch date has been rescheduled to the first week of September.
Aditya-L1 is set to be India’s debut space-based endeavor to study the Sun. The spacecraft will be positioned in a halo orbit around the Sun-Earth system’s Lagrange Point 1 (L1), located about 1.5 million km from Earth.
Lagrange Points represent specific positions in space where the combined gravitational forces of two celestial bodies, in this case, the Sun and Earth, result in distinct regions of attraction and repulsion. These points serve as advantageous locations for spacecraft to conserve fuel and maintain a stationary position.
The primary goal of Aditya-L1 is to scrutinize solar winds, phenomena that can provoke disturbances on Earth and manifest as “auroras.”
While the satellite is already prepared and has arrived at Sriharikota, the exact launch date for Aditya-L1 will be officially disclosed in two days, according to ISRO chief S Somanath. The launch event is anticipated to occur in the first week of September, with a specific target date of September 2.
With the Aditya-L1 mission, ISRO seeks to gain deeper insights into solar activities and their real-time impact on space weather. The mission aims to examine the dynamics of the solar upper atmosphere, including the corona and chromosphere.
The spacecraft will carry seven payloads, encompassing electromagnetic particle and magnetic field detectors, to observe the photosphere, chromospheres, and outermost layers of the Sun. Positioned at the unique vantage point of L1, four payloads will directly observe the Sun, while the remaining three will conduct in-situ investigations of particles and fields at Lagrange point L1. These efforts will provide invaluable scientific insights into the propagation effects of solar dynamics within the interplanetary medium.
Post Your Comments