Aditya L1 Mission highlights: Countdown begins for ISRO solar mission launch at 11:50am tomorrow

The spacecraft carries seven scientific payloads for systematic study of

the Sun. All payloads are indigenously developed in collaboration with

various ISRO Centres. 

VELC: Visible Emission Line Coronagraph is designed to study solar

corona and dynamics of coronal mass ejections. The payload is

developed by Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bengaluru in

close collaboration with ISRO.

For a two body gravitational system, the Lagrange Points are the positions in space where a small object tends to stay, if put there. These points in space for a two body systems such as Sun and Earth can be used by spacecraft to remain at these positions with reduced fuel consumption.

Technically at Lagrange point, the gravitational pull of the two large bodies equals the necessary centripetal force required for a small object to move with them. For two body gravitational systems, there are total five Lagrange points denoted as L1, L2, L3, L4 and L5. The Lagrange points for Sun-Earth system are shown in the figure. The Lagrange point L1 lies between Sun-Earth line. The distance of L1 from Earth is approximately 1% of the Earth-Sun distance.

Ahead of India's Aditya-L1 solar mission, a top scientist said the monitoring of the Sun on a 24-hour basis is a must to study solar quakes which can alter the geomagnetic fields of earth. The Aditya-L1 mission to study the Sun is slated to be launched at 11.50 am from the Sriharikota spaceport on Saturday.

Explaining the need to study the Sun, Professor and In-Charge Scientist at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Dr R Ramesh told PTI that just as there are earthquakes on Earth, there are something called solar quakes - called as Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) - on the surface of the Sun. In this process, millions and millions of tons of solar materials are thrown into the interplanetary space, he said, adding these CMEs can travel at a speed of approximately 3,000 km per second. 

"Some of the CMEs can also be directed towards the Earth. The fastest CME can reach near Earth space in approximately 15 hours," Dr Ramesh pointed out. On why this mission was different from other similar ventures, he said, "Though ESA (European Space Agency) and NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) have launched similar missions in the past, the Aditya L1 mission will be unique in two main aspects because we will be able to observe the solar corona from the place where it almost starts. Also we'll be able to observe the magnetic field changes in the solar atmosphere, which are the cause for coronal mass ejections or solar quakes."

Odisha-based Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) has supplied special grade MDN-250 (maraging steel) for various space missions of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) including Chandrayaan, Gaganayaan and Aditya L1, reported PTI.

In a press statement, the company said maraging steel plates are used in PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle) and GSLV (Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle) programmes of ISRO.

Maraging steel is a special quality steel containing nickel, cobalt, molybdenum, titanium and aluminium and is manufactured through vacuum melting process. Rolling of maraging steel requires very stringent process parameters, the statement added.

Generally any steel with higher strength will have low ductility and vice-versa. But the significance of maraging steel is that it has got very high strength (to the tune of 5-6 times of mild steel) along with good ductility, a RSP official said.

Two scientists from Pune's prestigious Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) on Friday said they were eagerly awaiting the results of one of the main payloads they are associated with of Aditya L1, which will be launched by PSLV-C57 rocket on September 2 at 11:50 AM.

Aditya L1, the first mission of the Indian Space Research Organisation to study the sun, carries seven payloads, four of which will observe the light from the sun and the remaining three will measure insitu parameters of the plasma and magnetic fields.

Durgesh Tripathi and AN Ramaprakash, who have dedicated the past 10 years to develop the Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (SUIT), one of the main payloads on the Aditya-L1 mission, told PTI they were "very excited".

"Now we also play a large role in the Aditya L1 Mission--the Aditya spacecraft. which has a very interesting, very versatile thruster called LAM (Liquid Apogee Motor), which is delivering a thrust of 440 newtons," Dr A K Asraff, deputy director of LPSC told PTI.

He said LAM will be instrumental in putting the Aditya spacecraft into the Lagrangian orbit, locaed about 1.5 million kilometres away from the Earth.

Aditya-L1 is designed for providing remote observations of the solar corona and in situ observations of the solar wind at L1 (Sun-Earth Lagrangian point). It will be launched by the Bengaluru-headquartered ISRO, onboard PSLV C57.

The LAM takes over the propulsion of the Aditya spacecraft when the launch vehicle's role is over. LAM developed by the LPSC is highly reliable, and has the impressive record of getting ignited after a hibernation of 300 days during the MOM in 2014.

When the country's maiden solar mission, Aditya L1 onboard the reliable PSLV lifts off from Sriharikota on Saturday for its 125-day voyage towards the Sun, the liquid propulsion systems developed by a key ISRO arm here will play a crucial role in propelling it, reported PTI. 

The Liquid Propulsion System Centre has been a proven centre of support for ISRO in all its space missions since its inception in 1987. The liquid and cryogenic propulsion systems have been the backbone of India's space ambitions, playing a crucial role in both PSLV and GSLV rockets.

Apart from this, the Liquid Apogee Motor developed by the LPSC has been crucial in satellite/spacecraft propulsion in India's major space achievements, be it the three Chandrayaan expeditions or the 2014 Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM).

-Aditya-L1 will stay approximately 1.5 million km away from Earth, directed towards the Sun, which is about 1% of the Earth-Sun distance.

-The Sun is a giant sphere of gas and Aditya-L1 would study the outer atmosphere of the Sun.

-Aditya-L1 will neither land on the Sun nor approach the Sun any closer.

As the countdowns begin for the launch of the country's maiden solar mission -- Aditya-L1, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said that we have reached the Moon and soon will reach near the Sun.

Shifting the focus to its next space odyssey after successfully placing a lander on the moon's uncharted South Pole region, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is all set for the country's maiden solar mission -- Aditya-L1.

"We have achieved many things in 75 years. We have reached the Moon and soon will reach near the Sun. But this is not enough," Amit Shah said during the 'Meri Maati Mera Desh' event. (ANI)

Aditya L1 Mission Live Updates: The Visible Emission Line Coronagraph (VELC), the primary payload of Aditya L1 -- the first space based Indian mission to study the Sun, set for launch on Saturday -- will be sending 1,440 images per day to the ground station for analysis on reaching the intended orbit. VELC, "the largest and technically most challenging" payload on Aditya-L1, was integrated, tested, and calibrated at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics's (IIA) CREST (Centre for Research and Education in Science Technology) campus in Hoskote near here with substantial collaboration with ISRO. Aditya-L1 will be launched by PSLV-C57 rocket on September 2 at 11:50 AM.

Aditya L1, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)'s first-ever solar mission, is set to be launched from Andhra Pradesh's Sriharikota on Friday. ISRO will launch the spacecraft at 11.50 am, days after Chandrayaan-3's historic success, which landed on the Moon's south pole last Wednesday.

 Through Aditya L1, ISRO aims to place the craft 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.” Through the mission, ISRO will study the impact of solar activities on space weather in real-time. The other key objectives of the unmanned mission also include understanding “coronal heating, coronal mass ejection, pre-flare and flare activities and their characteristics, dynamics of space weather, propagation of particles and fields, etc,” the space agency explained. Read this story on Aditya L1 Mission

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has announced that preparations for the launch of Aditya L1 are progressing smoothly, and everything is set for liftoff on Saturday. In a release featuring pictures of the launch rehearsal, the Indian space agency informed that the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) has completed its internal checks and is fully prepared for its 59th mission – to deploy India's inaugural solar mission into a low earth orbit.

Will Aditya L1 land on the Sun? No. Unlike Chandrayaan 3, where the Vikram lander, with Pragyan rover inside, softly touched down near the lunar south pole, the solar probe will instead be positioned at the first Lagrange point in the Earth-Sun system.

The distance to the L1 point is 1.5 million km, a span anticipated to be traversed by the spacecraft through various manoeuvres over the course of 4 months, ISRO said. Remarkably, this distance represents only 1 per cent of the overall 150 million km separation between Earth and the Sun. Read this detailed story on Aditya L1 Mission

“We will be doing spectroscopy and imaging of outer space simultaneously. We will be able to accurately study several energetic phenomena that affect the Earth,” former IIA scientist Jagdev Singh told PTI on Aditya L1 Mission.

"This is a unique mission because we will observe the solar corona from L1 point," says scientist and mission specialist Muthu Priya ahead of the launch of Aditya L1 Mission.

As India's pioneering space-based solar observatory mission, Aditya L1, gears up for its imminent launch this Saturday, insights from a former Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) scientist reveal its early conception over 15 years ago, but it was initially planned for a Near-Earth orbit at around 800 km.

“Aditya was planned for 2008 itself for going into Near-Earth orbit...to go around the Earth and then keep looking at the Sun and give data... ISRO has had a plan for space exploration for quite some time and more than 15 years. ISRO also has to take up further challenges of interplanetary missions...,” former ISRO Scientist Dr YS Rajan, a recipient of the 2012 Padma Shri award for his contributions to science and engineering, told news agency ANI. Rajan also co-authored "India 2020: A Vision for the New Millennium" with former President A P J Abdul Kalam. Read this story about Aditya L1 Mission

-S Somanath of the Indian Space Research Organisation or ISRO visited the Sri Chengalamma Parameshwari temple in Andhra Pradesh's Sullurpeta on Friday, a day before the launch of the Aditya-L1 solar mission, and prayed for its success. Somanath visited the temple at 7.30am and offered prayers to the deity, said a temple official, news agency PTI reported.

-Talking to reporters, the ISRO chief said the Aditya-L1 mission will be launched at 11.50am on Saturday. He added that the solar mission is for studying the Sun and it will take 125 days to reach the exact radius.

After the Sun observatory mission, the ISRO will launch various others, including SSLV - D3 and PSLV, in the coming days, he said. Read the story on ISRO's future missions after Aditya L1

"Today the countdown of Aditya L1 is starting and it will launch tomorrow around 11.50 am. Aditya L1 satellite is for studying our Sun. It will take another 125 days to reach the L1 point. This is a very important launch. We have not yet decided (Chandrayaan-4), we will announce it soon. After Aditya L1, our next launch is Gaganyaan, it will take place by the first week of October," said ISRO chief S Somanath after offering prayers at Chengalamma Parameshwari Temple in Tirupati.

ISRO chief S Somanath offered prayers at Chengalamma Parameshwari Temple in Tirupati district, ahead of the launch of Aditya-L1 Mission

India's first solar mission (Aditya-L1 Mission) is scheduled to be launched on September 2 at 11.50am from the Sriharikota spaceport in Andhra Pradesh.

- ISRO chief S Somanath visited the Sri Chengalamma Parameshwari temple in Andhra Pradesh's Sullurpeta at 7:30am on Friday, a day before the launch of the Aditya-L1 solar mission, and prayed for its success.

- ISRO chief also gave updates about future missions of the space agency. "Next launch is Aditya L1, then by October-mid Gaganyaan in-flight crew escape system demo TV-D1, then GSLV INSAT 3DS, then SSLV-D3, then PSLV, then LVM3 and so on..." Somanath replied when asked about the ISRO's new missions.

- A team of ISRO scientists visited the Tirumala Sri Venkateswara Temple on Friday morning, with a miniature model of the Aditya-L1 Mission to offer prayers.

"The main purpose is that it will give us an eclipsed sun always, which we can't get naturally. This is a unique mission as we are going very close to the Sun. At the same time, there is a very high risk as well..." said Prof Nagabhushana, System Engineering Group Head and Mechanical systems designer.

System Engineering Group Head and Mechanical systems designer Prof Nagabhushana explains the functioning of VELC payload for ISRO’s Aditya-L1 mission.

“This is called Visible Line Emission Coronagraph (VELC). This is a solar instrument which is going to L-1 orbit, launching tomorrow. This instrument will make occultation with the solar disc and then it will enable us to see the corona (Sun) in the visible channel as well as three spectroscopic channels...” he told ANI.

After the launch of India's first Sun mission Aditya-L1, by Oct-mid Gaganyaan in-flight crew escape system demo TV-D1, then GSLV INSAT 3DS, then SSLV-D3, then PSLV, then LVM3 and so on, ISRO chief S Somnath said on Friday.

Congress on Friday while congratulating ISRO on Chandrayaan-3 launch, sent best wishes for Aditya-L1. The party says, “We extend our best wishes for the launch of Aditya-L1 tomorrow.”

ISRO Chairman S Somanath on Friday visited the Sri Chengalamma Parameshwari temple in Sullurpeta in the run-up to the launch of Aditya-L1 mission and prayed for its success.

Somanath visited the temple at 7.30 am and offered prayers to the deity, said a temple official.

Talking to reporters, the ISRO chief said the Aditya mission will be launched at 11.50 am on Saturday.

He said the solar mission is for studying the Sun and it will take 125 days to reach the exact radius.

Ahead of India's Aditya-L1 solar mission, a top scientist said the monitoring of the Sun on a 24-hour basis is a must to study solar quakes which can alter the geomagnetic fields of earth. The Aditya-L1 mission to study the Sun is slated to be launched at 11.50 am from the Sriharikota spaceport on Saturday.