Exploring the Technology Aboard India’s Aditya-L1 Mission
Following the groundbreaking achievement of the Chandrayaan-3, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is prepared to undertake another significant endeavor, this time focusing on the Sun. Today, September 2, the Aditya-L1 mission will commence from launch pad 2 of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. This mission marks India’s inaugural space-based observatory-class solar mission, with the objective of unraveling the enigmas surrounding the Sun, including the origins of Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs), solar flares, solar weather, and other phenomena.
To achieve all these goals, the Aditya-L1 spacecraft is loaded with ground-breaking technology and a wide array of sensors that will help carry out various studies of the Sun from the first Lagrange point (L1) of the Sun-Earth system during its nearly five years. – the task of the year.
Technology in Aditya-L1
According to ISRO, Aditya-L1 will carry seven payloads to study the sun’s photosphere, chromosphere and coronal layer, which will be done using electromagnetic and particle controllers. While four of the payloads are directly facing the Sun, the other three perform in situ analysis of solar particles and solar fields at L1. All payloads help scientists better understand solar weather dynamics, coronal heating problems, preflare and flare operations, and much more.
The seven payloads are: 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), Aditya Plasma Analyzer Package (PAPA) and Magnetometer ( MAG).
1. Visible Emission Line Coronagraph (VELC) – Developed jointly by ISRO and the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bengaluru, this payload studies the behavior of coronal mass ejections and the solar corona.
2. Solar Ultra-violet Imaging Telescope (SUIT) – The Solar Ultra-violet Imaging Telescope measures solar irradiance in the near-ultraviolet (UV) by imaging the solar chromosphere and photosphere in near-UV radiation. SUIT has been developed by ISRO in collaboration with Inter University Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics Pune.
3. Solar Low Energy X-ray Spectrometer (SoLEXS) and High Energy L1 Orbiting X-ray Spectrometer (HEL1OS) – The SoLEXS and HEL1OS payloads have been developed at the U R Rao Satellite Center in Bengaluru. These payloads study X-rays emitted by the Sun over a wide X-ray energy range.
4. Aditya Solar wind Particle Experiment (ASPEX) and Plasma Analyzer Package for Aditya (PAPA) – The ASPEX and PAPA payloads are designed to analyze the solar winds and their energetic ions and their energy distribution. ASPEX was developed at the Physical Research Laboratory in Ahmedabad, while PAPA was developed at the Space Physics Laboratory at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Center in Thiruvananthapuram.
5. Magnetometer (MAG) – The Magnetometer, developed by the Laboratory for Electro Optics Systems, Bengaluru, studies and measures the interplanetary magnetic fields at the Lagrange 1 (L1) point.
All these payloads help to conduct in situ experiments and help scientists unravel the mystery of the Sun. Be sure to watch the live broadcast of the launch of Aditya-L1 today.
