Aditya-L1, to be powered into space aboard the PSLV rocket, will launch from ISRO’s Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, making a 1.5 million kilometer journey toward a vantage point to watch the Sun constantly. (ISRO)

Unveiling the Mysteries of the Sun: ISRO’s Aditya-L1 Mission

After successfully achieving a soft landing on the Moon’s South Pole, India’s ISRO has set its sights on a new target: the Sun. The recent Chandrayaan-3 mission made history, making India the first nation to accomplish this feat. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is receiving global applause for its achievement, but it is already preparing for its next groundbreaking endeavor. Dubbed Aditya-L1, this mission aims to extensively study the Sun by placing a spacecraft in the halo orbit.

India’s first space-based observatory-class solar mission may prove to be a turning point in the study of the Sun when it lifts off on September 2 from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, according to Dr Shanti Priya, Head of the Department of Astronomy. at Osmania University, Hyderabad.

Speaking to ANI, Dr Priya said, “Sun is the most mysterious object we know. We are all directly or indirectly dependent on the sun. Mission to Sun is the most challenging thing. India is now competing for space missions and this mission will be a turning point in Sun research.

Why is Aditya-L1 important?

Aditya-L1 is the Indian Space Agency’s first observatory-class space-based solar mission. The spacecraft will be placed in a halo orbit around the first Lagrange point (L1) of the Sun-Earth system, which is about 1.5 million kilometers from Earth. According to ISRO, this placement gives the spacecraft an unobstructed view of the Sun without being affected by regular eclipses or occultations.

The spacecraft carries seven payloads – Visible Emission Line Coronagraph (VELC), Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (SUIT), Solar Low Energy X-ray Spectrometer (SoLEXS), High Energy L1 Orbiting X-ray Spectrometer (HEL1OS), Aditya Solar wind Particle EXperiment (ASPEX), Plasma Analyzer Package for Aditya (PAPA) and Magnetometer (MAG).

All of these instruments are expected to play a crucial role in developing a deeper understanding of the Sun, such as Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) and the onset of solar flares, information on coronal heating and solar wind acceleration, and details on solar flares. The layers of the Sun including the chromosphere, coronal layer and photosphere.

“Through this mission, we expect to gain more insights into the structure and energy of the Sun,” added Dr. Priya.