India Launches Aditya-L1 Space-Based Solar Observatory Mission Following Chandrayaan-3’s Lunar Landing
SRIHARIKOTA, India — In a remarkable achievement, India has successfully launched its first space-based solar observatory mission, Aditya-L1, just ten days after the historic landing of its Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft on the lunar south pole. The mission aims to enhance our understanding of the Sun’s behavior and its impact on space weather.
The Aditya-L1 spacecraft, with a weight exceeding 3,264 pounds, took off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, South India, utilizing the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle-XL (PSLV-XL). The launch took place precisely at 11:50 am local time on a Saturday. Aditya-L1 is embarking on a journey covering a staggering distance of 932,000 miles, with an estimated travel time of 125 days (over four months). Its destination is a halo orbit around one of the five Lagrangian points, strategically positioned between the Sun and Earth, providing continuous monitoring of solar activities without interruptions from occultation or eclipses.
The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) equipped the Aditya-L1 spacecraft with seven payloads, comprising four for remote sensing and three for on-site experiments. These instruments include a visible emission line coronagraph, a solar ultraviolet imaging telescope, an X-ray spectrometer, a solar wind particle analyzer, a plasma analyzer package, and tri-axial high-resolution digital magnetometers. These sophisticated tools are poised to gather essential data and observations for the mission’s primary objective: the real-time observation of solar activities and their influence on space weather.
During the mission’s launch, the PSLV conducted two burn sequences, inserting the Aditya-L1 spacecraft into an elliptical orbit measuring 146×12,117 miles. This marked the first time that the launch vehicle’s upper stage utilized two burn sequences to precisely position the spacecraft into its intended orbit.
ISRO Chairman S. Somanath expressed his appreciation for the unique mission approach, stating, “I want to congratulate PSLV for such a very different mission approach today to do this mission of Aditya-L1 to put it in the right orbit. Now, the Aditya-L1 spacecraft will embark on its journey following a series of Earth maneuvers. Let’s extend our best wishes to the Aditya spacecraft as it undertakes its extensive voyage and is placed into the halo orbit around L1.
The instruments aboard the Aditya-L1 spacecraft will focus on studying three vital components of the Sun: the photosphere, chromosphere, and corona. Additionally, the three instruments designated for on-site experiments will closely observe the local environment at the Lagrangian point L1.
India’s Aditya-L1 mission marks a significant milestone in the nation’s space exploration endeavors and promises to contribute valuable insights into the dynamics of our Sun and its influence on space weather, benefiting both scientific research and technological advancements.
