The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is all set to launch India’s first-ever solar mission, Aditya-L1. The Aditya-L1 is scheduled to be launched on September 2, 2023, at 11:50 am.
ISRO’s update on Aditya-L1
The 23-hour 40-minute countdown leading to the launch has started today (September 1) at 12:10 Hrs. “PSLV-C57/Aditya-L1 Mission: The 23-hour 40-minute countdown leading to the launch at 11:50 Hrs. IST on September 2, 2023, has commended today at 12:10 Hrs,” posted ISRO on X, formerly Twitter.
Aditya-L1 is India’s first solar space observatory and will be launched by the PSLV-C57 from the Sriharikota launch pad. It will carry seven different payloads to have a detailed study of the sun, four of which will observe the light from the sun and the other three will measure in-situ parameters of the plasma and magnetic fields.
The largest and technically most challenging payload on Aditya-L1 is the Visible Emission Line Coronagraph or VELC. VELC was integrated, tested, and calibrated at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics’ CREST (Centre for Research and Education in Science Technology) campus in Hosakote in collaboration with ISRO.
Aditya-L1 will be placed in a halo orbit around Lagrangian Point 1 (or L1), which is 1.5 million km away from the Earth in the direction of the sun. It is expected to cover the distance in four months’ time.
This strategic location will enable Aditya-L1 to continuously observe the sun without being hindered by eclipses or occultation, allowing scientists to study solar activities and their impact on space weather in real-time. Also, the spacecraft’s data will help identify the sequence of processes that lead to solar eruptive events and contribute to a deeper understanding of space weather drivers.
What is the objective of Aditya-L1
The Aditya-L1 mission aims at studying the Sun from an orbit around the L1. It will carry seven payloads to observe the photosphere, chromosphere and the outermost layers of the Sun, the corona, in different wavebands. The objectives include the study of the physics of solar corona and its heating mechanism, the solar wind acceleration, coupling and dynamics of the solar atmosphere, solar wind distribution and temperature anisotropy, and origin of Coronal Mass Ejections (CME) and flares and near-earth space weather.
A coronagraph like the VELC is an instrument that cuts out the light from the disk of the sun, and can thus image the much fainter corona at all times, the Bengaluru-based Indian Institute of Astrophysics said.
Source : Time Of India