Following the triumphant lunar landing venture, ISRO is poised to embark on an audacious solar mission, anticipated to launch in approximately a week’s time, potentially on September 2. The impending Aditya-L1 spacecraft endeavor is meticulously designed to facilitate remote scrutiny of the solar corona and in situ analysis of the solar wind, strategically positioned at the L1 point, situated approximately 1.5 million kilometers distant from Earth.
Marking an epochal milestone, the Aditya-L1 mission is a pioneering Indian endeavor, orchestrated by the Bengaluru-based space agency, aimed at meticulously probing the Sun from an orbital vantage point surrounding the L1 locus. This expedition will encompass a constellation of seven sophisticated payloads tailored to investigate the photosphere, chromosphere, and the Sun’s outermost strata, the corona, in various distinct wavebands.
Distinguished by its entirely indigenous genesis, the Aditya-L1 project underscores the collaborative participation of national institutions, as emphasized by a senior ISRO official. The Indian Institute of Astrophysics, headquartered in Bengaluru, spearheads the development of the Visible Emission Line Coronagraph payload, while the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics, situated in Pune, has contributed the Solar Ultraviolet Imager payload.
The Aditya-L1’s arsenal encompasses an array of capabilities including the observation of the corona and solar chromosphere employing the UV payload, as well as the study of solar flares through X-ray payloads. Augmented by particle detectors and a magnetometer payload, the mission is poised to deliver insights into charged particles and magnetic fields within the halo orbit encircling the L1 point.
With the satellite meticulously fashioned at the U R Rao Satellite Centre and subsequently transported to the Sriharikota spaceport in Andhra Pradesh two weeks ago, indications point towards a highly anticipated launch on September 2, as posited by an ISRO official.
The Aditya-L1 spacecraft is strategically devised to assume a halo orbit around the L1 point within the Sun-Earth system, a positioning affording the remarkable advantage of continuous solar surveillance, uninterrupted by any form of occultation or eclipses. Highlighting this pivotal aspect, ISRO underscores that this vantage point offers an unparalleled opportunity to observe solar activities in real time and discern their consequential impact on space weather.
