ANS: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is at work for the next launch of the Aditya L1 satellite this month (August) to study Sun. Aditya-L1, which will be the first space-based Indian mission to study the Sun, is getting ready for launch, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said on Monday.

The satellite will carry seven instruments to study the solar atmosphere, solar magnetic storms and their impact on the environment around Earth.

Aditya-L1 is planned to be placed in a halo orbit around Lagrange point 1 (L1) between the Earth and the Sun (Sun-Earth system). The satellite will take around 109 Earth days after launch to reach the halo orbit called L1, covering a distance of over 1.5 million kilometres.

The Aditya L1 spacecraft, which was assembled and integrated at the U.R. Rao Satellite Centre (URSC), Bengaluru, has arrived at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, said ISRO on X (formerly known as Twitter).

Named after the ancient Indian solar deity Aditya, the Aditya L1 mission is poised to revolutionize our understanding of the Sun’s behaviour, magnetic field dynamics, and its impact on the Earth’s climate.

The satellite’s primary objective is to observe the outermost layer of the Sun’s atmosphere, the corona, which baffles scientists with its inexplicably higher temperature compared to the Sun’s surface.

Equipped with advanced sensors and instrumentation, the Aditya L1 satellite promises to capture high-resolution images of the Sun’s surface and corona, facilitating a more comprehensive analysis of its behaviour.

The mission represents a collaborative effort between ISRO and several other international space agencies and research institutions, reflecting the global scientific community’s shared interest in unlocking the Sun’s mysteries.

One of the key objectives of the Aditya L1 mission is to unravel the Sun’s influence on space weather and its potential impacts on Earth. The satellite’s observations are expected to provide crucial data for predicting solar storms, which can disrupt satellite communication, power grids, and even pose risks to astronauts in space.  By gaining a better understanding of the Sun’s dynamics, scientists aim to enhance space weather forecasting and mitigate potential hazards.

The launch of Aditya L1 underscores India’s growing prowess in space exploration and research. With a track record of successful missions, including the Chandrayaan and Mangalyaan missions to the Moon and Mars, respectively, ISRO continues to expand its scientific horizons and contribute significantly to global space endeavours.

The Aditya L1 mission represents a significant milestone in this journey, with the potential to add new dimensions to our understanding of the universe.

As launch day approaches, ISRO scientists and engineers are methodically prepping the Aditya L1 satellite for space. The PSLV will launch the satellite from Sriharikota’s Sathish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR (SDSC SHAR).

The spacecraft will start in low Earth orbit. As the orbit becomes more elliptical, the spacecraft will use on-board propulsion to launch toward L1. The ISRO stated the spacecraft would leave Earth’s gravitational Sphere of Influence (SOI) and begin its cruise phase when it approaches L1. The spacecraft will subsequently enter a massive L1 halo orbit.

Aditya-L1 would take four months from launch to L1.

According to ISRO, a satellite located near L1 will have a substantial advantage of continuous Sun vision without occultation or eclipses.

The mission will also allow real-time solar activity and space weather monitoring.

The spacecraft will carry seven payloads to observe the photosphere, chromosphere, and corona of the Sun utilizing electromagnetic, particle, and magnetic field detectors. ISRO’s website adds that four payloads will directly watch the sun from the L1 unique vantage point. At the same time, three will examine particles and fields there, “thus providing important scientific studies of the propagatory effect of solar dynamics in the interplanetary medium”.

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