India¡¯s First Solar Mission Aditya-L1, Blasts Off From Sriharikota
Close on the heels of its successful moon landing, the Indian Space Research Organization's (ISRO) maiden mission to the sun, the Aditya-L1, was launched on Saturday, September 2.
The PSLV-C5 Aditya-L1 was launched at 11:50 am from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC-SHAR) launch pad at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.
What is onboard PSLV-C5?
PSLV-C5, the eighth flight of ISRO's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, is carrying 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.
When will Aditya-L1 reach orbit?
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. It will allow scientists to study solar activities and their real-time impact on space weather. 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.
Aditya-L1 objective
Major objectives of India¡¯s solar mission 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.
The atmosphere of the sun, the corona, is what we see during a total solar eclipse. 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.
Why timing of Aditya-L1 matters?
According to former ISRO scientist Tapan Misra, the Aditya-L1 is an important project to study solar flares and wind affecting the weather.
"There is an 11-year cycle of the solar wind. This solar wind when it goes up, creates a disturbance in the satellite communications and even the electrical distribution system on the ground. And it affects the weather because as the solar flares increase, more is the sun's surface temperature. When the solar flares are less, the sun's temperature is also less and correspondingly, the weather also changes," Mishra told ANI.
Tapan Misra said that this launch is coming when there will be a maximum of the present solar cycle. Solar flares occur all over the surface, and solar winds, when ejected, it goes 360 degrees all around, but only when it comes to Earth is it dangerous.
"Aditya-L1 is a satellite that is well poised. If any solar wind comes towards Earth, then we will get a warning much beforehand. The velocity of solar wind is 600km/sec, so before it reaches Earth, the measurements can give warning," Misra, a former Director of Space Applications Centre and Physical Research Laboratory in ISRO, explained.
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