The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has achieved a significant milestone in its space exploration efforts with the successful launch of its inaugural solar mission, Aditya-L1 soon after the successful launch of Chandrayaan-3. The mission is designed to study the Sun and carries seven scientific payloads. Typically, PSLV deploys spacecraft into their intended orbits within approximately 25 minutes of lift-off. However, in the case of Aditya-L1, separation occurred 63 minutes after the launch.
After the successful launch, ISRO Chairman S. Somanath announced that the Aditya-L1 spacecraft had been placed in an eccentric orbit with an apogee of 19,500 km and a perigee of 235 km. This mission featured a unique approach, with the upper stage of the PSLV executing two burn sequences to inject the primary satellite into its designated orbit.
The PSLVXL rocket, measuring 44.4 meters in length and weighing 1,420 kg, carried seven payloads, five of which were developed by ISRO, and two in collaboration with academic institutes. This space-based observatory-class endeavour employing these payloads are intended to observe various aspects of the Sun, including the photosphere, chromosphere, and the outermost layer known as the corona, using electromagnetic and particle detectors.
Visible Emission Line Coronagraph (VELC), Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (SUIT), Solar Low Energy X-ray Spectrometer and High Energy L1 Orbiting X-ray Spectrometer (SoLEXS & HE10S), Aditya Solar Wind Particle Experiment and Plasma Analyzer Package for Aditya (ASPEX & PAPA), and Magnetometer (MAG) are the seven indigenous scientific equipment.
Experts have stated that the equipment will take readings after the 125-day interval, and the first data is anticipated in February or March 2024. Although the mission is intended to provide data for the following five years, scientists think that it may last up to 10 or even 15 years. Utilising the advantageous vantage point of Lagrange Point L1, four of the payloads will directly observe the Sun, while the remaining three will conduct in situ studies of particles and fields.
As reported by businessline, Aditya-L1 will remain in Earth’s orbit for sixteen days, during which time it will undergo five maneuvers to acquire the necessary velocity for its four-month journey spanning 1.5 million kilometers to reach its destination around Lagrange Point L1. The mission aims to understand coronal heating, solar wind acceleration, the initiation of coronal mass ejections, flares, and their impact on near-Earth space weather. Additionally, it seeks to gain insights into the coupling and dynamics of the solar atmosphere and to study the distribution and temperature anisotropy of solar wind.
