Ahead of Aditya-L1 launch, this Sriharikota ‘chaiwala’ says ‘proud to be an Indian'

Hours before India's maiden solar mission, a tea vendor in Andhra Pradesh's Sriharikota – from where Aditya-L1 will be launched – said that he is “proud to be born as an Indian”, while also citing the recent successful Moon landing by Chandrayaan-3's Vikram lander. (Follow LIVE updates on Aditya-L1 launch here)

“Recently, India successfully launched Chandrayaan-3, which has made us proud of being born here. Now, there is the launch of Aditya-L1 later today, and we are even more proud to call ourselves number 1 in the world,” news agency PTI quoted the tea vendor as saying.

Speaking in Hindi, the tea vendor said the launch is scheduled at 11.50am on Saturday and that he is more than proud of this Aditya-L1 launch. “Jai Bharat, Vande Mataram,” he said.

The Aditya-L1 mission is being launched just days after the historic touchdown by Chandrayaan-3, whose lander Vikram and rover Pragyan are currently conducting lunar studies and will be active until Sunday (September 3) – 14 Earth days after landing.

India awaits Aditya -L1's launch

Many visitors, including students from different states, gathered at the visitors' gallery in Sriharikota to witness the Aditya L1 solar mission launch. You can watch the live telecast of the launch on ISRO's website, YouTube channel, and social media pages, as well as on Doordarshan.

For live updates and coverage of the Aditya L1 mission, you can also visit the Hindustan Times website.

Also, around 23 students from Punjab government schools, Friday took a flight from Chandigarh to Sriharikota to attend ISRO's Aditya L1 launch event.

Visitors expressed their excitement and pride ahead of the launch. One visitor from Chennai said, 'We are very proud to be Indian and happy to witness this historic moment. It's our first time here, and we can't put our happiness into words.'

Aditya-L1 will be placed in a strategic orbit known as Lagrangian Point 1 (L1), located 1.5 million kilometres away from Earth in the direction of the Sun. This position allows the spacecraft to continuously observe the Sun, providing real-time data on solar activities and their impact on space weather. Scientists will use this data to better understand solar events and their effects on space weather

(With ANI, PTI inputs)