India Now Aims for the Sun for Solar Research

 Following the successful Chandrayaan-3 mission’s soft landing near the Moon’s south pole, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is now focusing on solar exploration. The Aditya-L1, India’s inaugural space observatory for solar research, is poised for launch. Designed to study the solar corona and atmosphere remotely, the spacecraft is scheduled for liftoff in the first week of September. It aims to analyze solar winds, which can lead to disruptions on Earth and the dazzling display of auroras.

Aditya-L1 is designed to be stationed in a halo orbit around the Sun-Earth Lagrange point 1 (L1), positioned about 1.5 million km from Earth. Placing a satellite in this orbit enables uninterrupted solar observation, offering real-time insights into solar activities and space weather effects. Equipped with seven payloads, the spacecraft employs electromagnetic, particle, and magnetic field detectors to observe the sun’s photosphere, chromospheres, and outermost layers.

ISRO’s Chairman, S. Somanath, stated that Aditya-L1 will embark on its journey using India’s heavy-duty launch vehicle, the PSLV. The spacecraft will spend approximately 125 days traveling 1.5 million km to reach L1. By harnessing the gravitational equilibrium of space’s “parking lot,” where objects remain stable due to balancing forces, fuel consumption for the spacecraft will be minimized. The $46 million budget for this mission was sanctioned by the government in 2019, and the launch will be conducted from the Satish Dhawan Space Center SHAR, Sriharikota, as a fully indigenous endeavor involving national institutions.