ISRO successfully launched India’s inaugural solar observar mission Aditya L1 on September 2. At 11:50 a.m. on March 30, 2011, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle launched its 59th mission with Aditya L1 abroad from Sriharikota’s Satish Dhawan Space Centre. Aditya L1 spacecraft was successfully launched into an eccentric orbit at 12:53 p.m. via PSLV on June 9, 2013. This orbit will resemble its parent satellite’s initial trajectory.

ISRO’s workhorse rocket, PSLV C57/Aditya L1, performed one of its most extended missions yet: Aditya L1. Aditya L1 will remain in orbit around Earth for 16 days after launch and perform five maneuvers to increase its velocity before embarking on its long journey toward the Sun. Aditya-L1 will begin its 110-day journey by conducting a Trans-Lagrangian maneuver and will enter a 110-day orbit around L1 Lagrange Point once arriving there – this location provides a gravitational balance between Earth and the Sun for its existence.

To reach L1, the spacecraft will use its Liquid Apogee Motor (LAM), which serves as a liquid-apogee engine. Aditya L1 will remain approximately 1.5 million kilometers from Earth and head towards the sun – this represents about one percent of the Earth-Sun Distance. Aditya-L1 will have an expected five-year mission during which its payloads will provide essential data on coronal warming, coronal mass-ejection, flares, and flares as well as space weather dynamics as well as particle and field propagation.

Aditya L1 Satellite Features Seven Payloads

• Visible Emission Line Coronagraph
• Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (SUIT)
• Solar Low Energy X-Ray Spectrometer
• High Energy L1 Orbiting High-energy X-ray Spectrometer (HEL1OS)
• Aditya Solar Wind Particle Experiment (ASPEX)
• Plasma Analyser Package For Aditya (PAPA)
• Advanced Triaxial High-Resolution Digital Magnetometers

Aditya L1 has begun producing electricity since installing solar panels. After launch, ISRO Chairperson S. Somanath commented: “The Aditya L1 spacecraft has been placed into an elliptical orbit 235 km x 19,500 km by PSLV as planned and extremely accurately. This mission is truly unparalleled as Aditya L1 will begin its journey toward the L-1 point after some maneuvers. “This journey should last around 125 days.”

On September 3 at around 11.45 a.m., the initial maneuver to raise its orbit will take place. Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of Science & Technology (independent charge), issued his congratulations and celebrated ISRO. Thousands around the globe watched with great interest as this momentous achievement for India became a reality.

Aditya L1 Mission Unveils Mysteries Of Isro Aditya L1 Successfully Launched From Sriharikota On Saturday; Experts Share Their Insight 

Discover its Primary Target Individual (PTI). ISRO AdityaL1 Solar Mission, India took an important step toward fulfilling its solar mission this Saturday when AdityaL1 successfully took off from Sriharikota this morning. Within four months, a satellite will be orbiting L1 near the Sun in its Halo orbit and begin answering some of its most intriguing questions about our star. Seven payloads will then go into action shortly thereafter to investigate this dynamic system and unveil some fascinating mysteries surrounding it.

Questioning the extreme temperature of the Sun’s corona is an interesting one. The corona is the outermost layer of its atmosphere and is often hidden by bright sunlight on Earth’s surface.

Somak Raymond, vice-chancellor and scientist of Ashoka University explained to HT that one of his primary goals is understanding why the corona of the Sun is so hot; its coronal temperature can reach over 2,000,000 degrees; this stands in stark contrast to its surface temperature which averages approximately 5,000 degrees.

Somak Raychudhury provided Hindustan Times with an exclusive interview in which she discussed the goals and objectives of India’s Solar Mission. Somak highlighted how with its aid India will be able to monitor solar radiation around the clock.

Aditya L1 Mission Objectives

India’s main aim with Aditya L1 is to enhance its ability to observe and track the Sun 24/7. By tracking it without interruption, observations of solar activity can help be closely monitored. Aditya L1 boasts two large instruments and five smaller instruments to complete its mission.

The Spacecraft’s Key Instruments Are SUIT and VELC

SUIT and VELC are key instruments aboard this spacecraft, offering continuous imaging of our Sun. SUIT (Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope) takes continuous images of its surface; essential for monitoring the ultraviolet spectrum; this telescope’s data collection contributes to understanding the amount of X-ray and ultraviolet radiation coming from its Corona.

VELC is another major instrument from ISRO; it’s a solar spectrograph that specializes in the corona, the outermost layer of the Sun’s atmosphere that extends far beyond the visible disk. Along with SUIT, VELC will monitor the Sun’s Corona for ISRO scientists to correlate changes on the Sun’s surface with changes to Corona.

Aditya L1 Uncovers Sun’s Mysteries

Somak was speaking of the peculiar phenomenon of high temperatures of the Sun’s corona which can reach 2 million degrees, much warmer than its surface which only averages around 5,000. Romak told HT that this striking temperature difference is “baffling in solar science”, though the mystery can be solved through studying its high energy phenomena; Aditya L1 represents an invaluable opportunity for ISRO scientists in creating causal links between its corona and surface regions of our Sun’s corona and surface regions

Aditya L1’s observations will also aid in making the connection between solar storms and high-energy particles emitted by the Sun. Romak explained in an interview with HT that these storms are closely tied to solar magnetic activity; further warning against their harmful effect on satellites, communication systems, and other technologies.

India successfully launched Aditya L1 at 11:50 am today from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh, to monitor solar activity and its effect on space weather in real-time. Aditya L1 comes equipped with several payloads that will transmit vital data necessary for its mission goals.

ISRO recently announced that its Aditya L1 spacecraft would be launched into a halo orbit around Lagrange Point 1 (L1) of the Sun-Earth System, located some 1.5 million km away. Once there, the spacecraft would observe it continuously without interruption. Aditya L1’s primary objectives are to study coronal warming, solar wind acceleration, and Coronal Mass Ejections.

Aditya L1 Payloads Onboard

Aditya-L1 will carry seven payloads that will allow it to observe the chromosphere, photosphere, and corona of the Sun with magnetic field detectors and electromagnetic particle detectors. Seven payloads will be launched, including four Remote Sensing (RS) Payloads that will directly observe and record data from the Sun, as well as three In-Situ Payloads designed to investigate particles and fields at Lagrange Point L1.

Remote Sensing Payloads

One of four remote sensing payloads, the Visible Emission Line Coronagraph is designed as a reflective spectrograph with multiple-slit spectrograph capabilities and will transmit 1,440 solar images a day back to Earth for research and analysis purposes.

Solar UV Imaging Telescope is an autonomous payload to image the solar disc at near-ultraviolet wavelengths. The Solar Low Energy X-ray Spectrometer was the third payload, designed to “measure solar soft X-ray fluence to study solar flares”. HEL1OS will provide another tool to study and observe solar high-energy X-ray emissions.

In-Situ Payloads

Aditya Solar Wind Particle Experiment is an in-situ payload installed aboard Aditya L1. It consists of two instruments – a Solar Wind Ion Spectrometer (SWIS) and a Suprathermal Energetic Particle Spectrometer (STEPS). SWIS measures proton and particle counts within the Solar Wind; STEPS detects higher-energy solar wind ions.

Scientists will be able to gain a better understanding of solar wind composition with the Aditya instrument’s plasma analyzer package and mass analyzer package, respectively. Furthermore, the Aditya instrument will also perform mass analyses of solar wind ions.

This instrument contains two sets of magnetometers – one at the tip and another in the middle – with approximately three meters separating these instruments from their target spacecraft.