By Neha Yadav
Published Aug 29, 2023

Hindustan Times
In Focus

Photo Credits: Unsplash

ISRO to send Aditya-L1 on Sun mission

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced that it will launch Aditya-L1, India's first Sun mission from Sriharikota on September 2

Here are some important things you need to know about the mission

It will be the first space mission aimed at studying the Sun. The launch of the space vehicle PSLV XL will take place on September 2, 2023, at 11:50 Hrs IST from Sriharikota

Aditya-L1 will be placed in the halo orbit around the Lagrange point (L1) of the Sun-Earth system (1.5 million km from Earth)

A satellite in the halo orbit around the L1 point will continuously observe the Sun without any eclipses. This will provide an advantage to study solar activities and their real-time effect on space weather

ISRO mentioned in its mission document that the total travel time from launch to L1 point has been estimated to take about four months for Aditya-L1

The spacecraft will carry seven payloads to observe the photosphere, chromosphere and the outermost layer of the Sun (corona) with the help of electromagnetic, particle and magnetic field detectors

Four payloads will directly view the sun and the remaining three payloads are aimed at carrying out in-situ studies of particles and fields at the L1 point

The objectives of the Aditya-L1 mission include studying chromospheric and coronal dynamics, in-situ particles and the plasma environment of the Sun

It will also study the physics of solar corona and its heating mechanism, the initiation of the coronal mass ejections, flares and diagnostics of coronal loop plasma