Watch: ISRO chief, scientists offer prayers at temples ahead of Aditya-L1 solar mission launch

As the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) making last-moment preparations ahead of the Aditya-L1 solar mission launch, its scientists headed to the Tirumala Tirupati Sri Venkateswara Temple to offer prayers for the mission's success. The team of ISRO scientists also carried a miniature model of the spacecraft along with them.

Meanwhile, ISRO chief S Somanath visited the Sri Chengalamma Parameswari Temple in Andhra Pradesh's Tirupati district to offer prayers.

“Today the countdown of Aditya L1 will begin. The launch will take place at around 11.50 am tomorrow. It will take another 125 days to travel to L1 point,” the ISRO chief was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

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The lift off of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV)-C57 rocket will take place from the launchpad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.

What is the Aditya L1 mission?

The primary objective of the mission is to study atmospheric dynamics of the outer-most layer of Sun's atmosphere called corona and chromosphere. It will also carry out studies to find out the sequence of processes that occur at multiple layers of the Sun which eventually lead to several solar events including the ejection of solar mass in the form of solar flares.

"The suits of Aditya L1 payloads are expected to provide most crucial information to understand the problem of coronal heating, coronal mass ejection, pre-flare and flare activities and their characteristics, dynamics of space weather, propagation of particle and fields etc.," ISRO said in a statement.

Four out of seven payloads will study the Sun, whereas, three of them will carry out experiment at the Lagrangian Point to observe the local environment.

Why has ISRO opted the Lagrangian Point 1?

The name Lagrangian Point was given after the French mathematician Joseph Louis Lagrange for its discovery. These points are where the gravitational forces between two terrestrial objects balance each other leading to a spacecraft hovering without the use of external force. There are a total of five such points and L1 is the most significant of them.

"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 solar activities and their effect on space weather in real-time," ISRO said.