Aditya-L1 Mission is the first observatory-class space-based solar mission from India. Aditya-L1 Mission is to conduct more studies on our Sun, which is the nearest and the largest object in the Solar System. Distanced at about 150 million Kilometres from the Earth, the Sun is the source of energy for our Solar system.
Why is it necessary to study about the Sun? Because of the fact that without Sun, or the Solar Energy, life on Earth will be impossible. The gravity of the Sun holds all the objects of the Solar System together. The Radiations, Heat and the constant flow of Particles and Magnetic Field from the Sun influences our Earth. The Solar Wind is mostly composed of high-energy Protons. These and due to various other reasons, it is essential to study in detail about our Sun. Aditya-L1 is aimed at carrying out such studies.
Scheduled Launch of Aditya-L1
The scheduled launch of Aditya-L1 is on the 2nd September 2023 at 11:20am Indian Standard Time from the Sathish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. A PSLV-C57 Rocket is planned to put Aditya-L1 spacecraft into a Halo Orbit around the Lagrangian Point-1 (L1) of the Sun-Earth System. It is at about 1.5 million Kilometres from the Earth. Why L1 Point is chosen because, a Satellite placed in the Halo Orbit around the L1 point has the major advantage of continuously viewing the Sun without any Occultation/Eclipse. Thus we will have greater advantage in observing the Solar activities continuously.
What does Aditya-L1 carry on it? The spacecraft carries seven Payloads to observe the Photosphere, Chromosphere and the outermost layers of Sun (the Corona). This is done using Electromagnetic and Particle Detectors. Four of the seven Payloads in Aditya-L1 directly view the Sun and the remaining three Payloads carry out in-situ studies of Particles and Fields at the Lagrange Point L1. The entire suite of Payloads are expected to provide most crucial information to understand problems of Coronal Heating, Coronal Mass Ejection, Pre-Flare and Flare activities, their characteristics. Also Dynamics of Space Weather, study of Propagation of Particles and Fields in the Interplanetary medium will be studied by Aditya-L1.
Payloads of Aditya-L1
- The Visible Emission Line Coronagraph (VELC) – studies the solar corona and dynamics of Coronal Mass Ejections
- The Solar Ultra-violet Imaging Telescope (SUIT) payload – images the Solar Photosphere and Chromosphere in near Ultra-violet (UV) and also measures the solar irradiance variations in near UV
- The Aditya Solar wind Particle EXperiment (ASPEX) and Plasma Analyser Package for Aditya (PAPA) payloads – study the solar wind and energetic ions, as well as their energy distribution
- The Solar Low Energy X-ray Spectrometer (SoLEXS) and The High Energy L1 Orbiting X-ray Spectrometer (HEL1OS) studies the X-ray flares from the Sun over a wide X-ray energy range. The Magnetometer payload is capable of measuring interplanetary magnetic fields at the L1 point
The science Payloads of Aditya-L1 are indigenously developed by different laboratories in India. You can watch the Live-Streaming of Aditya-L1 Mission Launch at ISRO Website
Disclaimer: Source of Information – ISRO. Published only for public awareness
