Aditya-L1 Launch highlights: India's sunshine moment as mission now in space

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday congratulated the scientists of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for the successful launch of the country's maiden solar mission--Aditya L1.

The country's first solar mission--Aditya L1 set off on a 125-day journey to the Sun in its attempt to study various elements relating to Earth's nearest star, after being put into an orbit by a PSLV rocket that touched a new technical milestone in the launch vehicle segment.

Taking to X, formerly Twitter, Patnaik said, “Congratulate the scientists of @isro on successfully launching the country’s maiden Solar mission #AdityaL1 from Sriharikota, which comes close on the heels of successful lunar expedition #Chandrayaan3.” (PTI)

“...Next, I think, will be the first trial flight of Gaganyaan, which might happen in the month of October. That is, next month itself, ” Jitendra Singh, Union minister of State for science and technology told ANI.

On the successful launch of Aditya-L1, Union minister of State for science and technology Jitendra Singh told ANI, "It's a sunshine moment for India. And secondly, like Chandrayaan here also the whole of the nation was involved. And that's been possible because Prime Minister Modi has thrown open the gates of Sriharikota. He's brought all these stakeholders together, made them realize that this mission belongs to the whole of India..."

On the successful launch of Aditya-L1, Union Minister G Kishan Reddy told ANI, "I want to congratulate the ISRO scientists on behalf of the people of Telangana for the successful launch of Aditya-L1...Under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi India is continuously moving forward in the scientific subject."

As the Indian Space Research Organisation successfully launched Aditya-L1, the country's maiden solar mission, former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister and the Leader of Opposition, Jai Ram Thakur on Saturday said that the successful lift-off is another achievement of India in space research.

Thakur said that after the success of Chandrayaan-3 mission, India became the first country to reach the South pole of lunar surface and now we have passed another milestone in space after successful launching of the Aditya L-1.

The PSLV-C57.1 rocket carrying the Aditya-L1 orbiter lifted off successfully from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh at 11.50 a.m. on Saturday.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday congratulated ISRO and the scientists on the successful launch of India's first solar mission Aditya-L1.

Shortly after the successful takeoff of PSLV-C57, carrying the Aditya satellite from Sriharikota, Vijayan in a social media post said that it was another "momentous achievement" for India in space research.

"India marks another momentous achievement in space research as #AdityaL1 sets off on its mission to explore the secrets of the Sun and its atmosphere. Hats off to@isro and the incredible team that made this possible. Together, we reach for the stars!," Vijayan posted on X, formerly Twitter.

The satellite will be observing the Sun round the clock and extract exact data regarding various solar phenomena.

With the successful launch of India's first solar mission Aditya-L1, the country could develop some prediction models and prepare a resilience plan to combat climate change, former ISRO chairman G Madhavan Nair said here on Saturday.

Sharing his excitement shortly after the successful takeoff of PSLV-C57, carrying the Aditya satellite from Sriharikota, Nair said it is very important to study the solar surface to understand various phenomena that instantaneously affect our local weather conditions.

"Long-term variability of solar radiation also is a very important factor in the study of climate change. So, in all these areas, fundamental knowledge will be acquired through this unique mission," Nair told PTI.

Nigar Shaji was also the Associate Project Director of Resourcesat-2A, which is the Indian Remote Sensing Satellite for National Resource Monitoring and management. She has authored several papers on image compression, system engineering among others, reported PTI.

Shaji hails from Tenkasi in Tamil Nadu, about 550 km from state capital Chennai.

She acquired her BE in electronics and communication from Madurai Kamaraj University and did her masters in Electronics from BIT Ranchi. She was also the Head of Satellite telemetry centre in ISRO, Bengaluru.

According to ISRO, the main payload of the Aditya-L1 mission is the Visible Line Emission Coronagraph (VELC), developed by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bengaluru.

At a function held on January 26, 2023, the payload was handed over to U R Rao Satellite Centre in the presence of ISRO Chairman S Somanath and Shaji.

-Aditya L1's flight towards the Sun on Saturday is the culmination of the hardwork of a number of people under its Project Director Nigar Shaji.

-With 35 years of service in ISRO, Shaji has made illustrious contributions to the Indian Remote Sensing, communication and interplanetary satellite programmes at various responsibilities, PTI reported citing sources in the space agency said.

-She hails from Tamil Nadu's Tenkasi and joins a list of illustrious names from the state--Mayilsamy Annadurai, M Vanitha and P Veeramuthuvel, who have helmed the country's three lunar missions so far.

-Shaji joined ISRO Satellite Centre in 1987.

With recent successful space missions, including the remarkable Chandrayaan 3 soft landing and the momentous Aditya L1 launch, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is receiving widespread adoration and support from across India. A heartwarming gesture recently unfolded when a young child from the neighbourhood presented ISRO Chief S. Somanath with a handcrafted model of the Vikram lander. Read more

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao said ISRO has achieved another big milestone in the field of space research, adding that the achievement by the India's scientists in the field of space research stood as a role model for the world and it is a proud moment for every Indian.

According to ISRO, Prof. Rao, affectionately called the father of India's satellite programme, was particularly excited about the Aditya mission and he ensured that it went through a thorough revamp of its mission objectives including its orbital parameters to make the expedition more meaningful and contemporary.

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath hailed the successful launch of the country's first solar mission Aditya-L1.

In a post in Hindi on 'X', the chief minister said, “PSLV-C57/Aditya-L1 mission was successfully launched today, symbolises the potential of 'New India' with the mission to serve the entire humanity. Many wishes for the complete success of this prestigious mission to become the 'new Sun' of the hopes of 140 crore countrymen under the leadership of the respected prime minister! Along with the Moon, now the Sun will also witness the power of 'self-reliant India'. Hearty congratulations to the entire team including @isro!”

Anand Mahindra congratulates ISRO by quoting a Greek legend

Industrialist Anand Mahindra wished ISRO through a post on X, “Don’t fly too close to the Sun” comes from the Greek legend of Icarus who flew fatally near the sun, & is used to describe TOO MUCH ambition. Thanks to ISRO :“Let’s fly close to the Sun” will mean that we should lift our ambitions even HIGHER.”

Addressing fellow scientists at ISRO after the successful launch of the country's first solar mission - Aditya L1 - Nigar Shaji, the director of the project, said on that it was like a dream coming true.

“It feels like a dream coming true. I am extremely happy that Aditya L-1 has been injected successfully (into the designated orbit) by the PSLV. Aditya L-1 has successfully embarked on its 125-day journey,” Nigar Shaji said. 

Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami congratulated the Indian Space and Research Organisation (ISRO) on the successful launch of India's first solar mission, Aditya-L1.

CM Dhami said, "New flight of strong India!" Heartiest congratulations and best wishes to all the scientists and countrymen on the successful launch of India's Sun Mission".

Home minister Amit Shah congratulated the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on the successful launch of India's first solar mission, Aditya L1.

In his post on ‘X’, the Home Minister said, “Time and again our scientists have proved their might and brilliance. The nation is proud and delighted over the successful launch of Aditya L1, India's first solar mission. Kudos to the team ISRO for this unparalleled accomplishment."

Aditya L1 is on its four-month-long journey to Lagrange Point 1, nearly 15 lakh kilometers away from Earth, towards the Sun.

"We extend our congratulations to Isro on the successful launch of the Aditya L1 mission. This achievement follows the Chandrayaan-3 mission, marking another significant milestone for India's space sector. It not only reaffirms India's capabilities in space exploration but will establish trust in our private sector's ability to collaborate internationally and contribute to the global space industry. These successes will also further enhance funding prospects for our private space companies," says Lt. Gen. AK Bhatt (Retd.), Director General, Indian Space Association (ISpA).

The Congress hailed the launch of Aditya-L1 as a "stupendous achievement" for India, as it shared a timeline of the mission from its conceptualisation. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said, "We are indebted and grateful to our scientists, space engineers, researchers and our hard-working personnel at @ISRO for the successful launch of AdityaL1 - Solar Observation Mission."

"Together, we celebrate their success and honour them with our gratitude," he said and shared a timeline of the mission.

External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar congratulated the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on the successful launch of India’s first solar mission, Aditya -L1.

“Congratulations on the successful launch of India’s first Solar Mission, Aditya -L1. This is yet another feather in @isro’s cap. Their achievements continue to inspire the nation and raise our global profile,” Jaishankar said.

In the wake of the Indian Space Research Organisation's successful launch of its inaugural solar mission, Aditya-L1, let's embark on a journey through key missions from space agencies worldwide, all dedicated to unravelling the enigmatic secrets of the Sun. Read here

1. The PSLV-C57.1 rocket carrying the Aditya-L1 orbiter lifted off successfully from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh at 11.50 am today.
2. The successful launch of ISRO’s maiden Sun mission came on the heels of the historic lunar landing mission Chandrayaan-3.
3. After the launch, ISRO announced that the payload covering the Aditya L1 spacecraft had been separated as it left Earth's atmosphere.
4. "The third stage of the separation of PSLV carrying the Aditya-L1 orbiter has been completed," ISRO said, adding that the launch of Aditya-L1 by PSLV-C57 has been accomplished successfully.

Jitendra Singh, minister for science and technology, praised the ISRO officials for their work on the launch.

“Congratulations India. Congratulations ISRO,” he said while being present at the ISRO control room. “It’s a sunshine moment for India.”

The first Earth-bound firing for the craft's orbit jump is scheduled for 11.45 am tomorrow.