ISRO Ready For India’s Maiden Mission To Study Sun; Aditya L1
Science
5 min read
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO ) on 14 August 2023 announced on microblogging site X(formerly Twitter) the launch of its mission Aditya L1.
The first space based mission to study will be launched on board PSLVC-57 most probably in September 2023. ISRO has yet to confirm the date of its launch.
According to ISRO the probe ,which has been made at the U.R.Rao Satellite centre in Bengaluru, has reached Sriharikota facility for integration with the launch vehicle.
Aditya L-1 Mission
According to ISRO the Aditya probe will be placed in a halo orbit around the Lagrange point 1 (L1) of the Sun-Earth system, which is about 1.5 million km from the Earth.
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 the solar activities and its effect on space weather in real time.
The spacecraft carries seven payloads to observe the photosphere, chromosphere and the outermost layers of the Sun (the corona) using electromagnetic and particle and magnetic field detectors.
Using the special vantage point L1, four payloads directly view the Sun and the remaining three payloads carry out in-situ studies of particles and fields at the Lagrange point L1, thus providing important scientific studies of the propagatory effect of solar dynamics in the interplanetary medium.
What are the objectives of the Aditya L-1 mission ?
According to ISRO the major objectives of the Aditya Mission are as follows:
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Study of Solar upper atmospheric (chromosphere and corona) dynamics,
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Study of chromospheric and coronal heating, physics of the partially ionised plasma, initiation of the coronal mass ejections, and flares,
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Observe the in-situ particle and plasma environment providing data for the study of particle dynamics from the Sun,
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Physics of solar corona and its heating mechanism,
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Diagnostics of the coronal and coronal loops plasma: Temperature, velocity and density,
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Identify the sequence of processes that occur at multiple layers (chromosphere, base and extended corona) which eventually leads to solar eruptive events,
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Magnetic field topology and magnetic field measurements in the solar corona ,
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Drivers for space weather (origin, composition and dynamics of solar wind)
What is Lagrange point 1 (L1)?
Lagrange Points are positions in space where the gravitational forces of a two body system like the Sun and the Earth produce enhanced regions of attraction and repulsion. These can be used by spacecraft to reduce fuel consumption needed to remain in position.
Lagrange points are named in honour of Italian-French mathematician Josephy-Louis Lagrange.
The L1 point of the Earth-Sun system affords an uninterrupted view of the sun.
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)
It was set up on 15 August 1969
It is India's national space agency .
Headquarters : Bengaluru
Chairman: S.Somanath
First Chairman: Vikram Sarabhai
