Bengaluru: After the success of Chandrayaan-3, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is all set to launch the first-ever solar observation space mission known as ‘Aditya L1’.
The Aditya L1 Solar Observatory spacecraft will be launched on 2 September 2023 to explore the different solar activities in real time, and their influence on space weather. Aditya L1 will be the first space-based Indian mission to study the Sun.
The Aditya L1 will be launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre on 2 September. The exact time of launch has not been confirmed by ISRO yet.
🚀PSLV-C57/🛰️Aditya-L1 Mission:
The launch of Aditya-L1,
the first space-based Indian observatory to study the Sun ☀️, is scheduled for
🗓️September 2, 2023, at
🕛11:50 Hrs. IST from Sriharikota.Citizens are invited to witness the launch from the Launch View Gallery at… pic.twitter.com/bjhM5mZNrx
— ISRO (@isro) August 28, 2023
According to ISRO,” The spacecraft shall be placed in a halo orbit around the Lagrange point 1 (L1) of the Sun-Earth system, which is about 1.5 million km from the Earth. A satellite placed in the halo orbit around the L1 point has the major advantage of continuously viewing the Sun without any occultation/eclipses. This will provide a greater advantage of observing the solar activities and its effect on space weather in real time.”
Where is Aditya L1 going?
Instead, Aditya L1 will position itself in a halo orbit around the Lagrange point 1 (L1) of the Sun-Earth system, approximately 1.5 million kilometers from Earth.
This strategic location will enable Aditya L1 to continuously observe the Sun without being hindered by eclipses or occultation, allowing scientists to study solar activities and their impact on space weather in real time.
The L1 point is a unique location in space where the gravitational pull of two large masses, in this case, the Sun and the Earth, precisely equals the centripetal force required for a small object to move with them.
This equilibrium allows a spacecraft to maintain its position with minimal energy expenditure. The L1 point of the Earth-Sun system affords an uninterrupted view of the sun and is currently home to the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory Satellite SOHO.
The Aditya L1 mission will take over 100 Earth days after launch to reach the halo orbit around the L1 point. The 1,500 kg satellite carries seven science payloads with diverse objectives, including but not limited to, the coronal heating, solar wind acceleration, coronal magnetometry, origin and monitoring of near-UV solar radiation, and the continuous observation of photosphere, chromosphere, and corona.
One of the major objectives of the mission is to study the reasons behind the formation and composition of solar wind and space weather. It will also provide information about how coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and solar flares are formed.
These combined observations promise to unlock the mysteries behind solar dynamics and their effects on the interplanetary medium.
The Aditya L1 mission is a significant step forward in our understanding of the Sun and its impact on our planet. The data collected by the spacecraft will contribute to a deeper understanding of space weather drivers and could revolutionise our understanding of the Sun’s dynamics and space weather.
