Aditya-L1: All You Need To Know (Image:screen grab from Aditya-L1 launch live-stream by ISRO)

India has launched its first ever solar observation mission Aditya- L1 on Saturday, just days after the country made a history by touching the Moon’s south pole.

Here is everything you need to know about India”s prestigious solar mission.

1. Aditya-L1 is the first Indian spacecraft for solar observation.
2. It is designed and developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) collaborating other Indian research institutes.
3. The craft was lifted off from the launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre located in Andhra Pradesh’s Sriharikota at 11:50 am on Saturday, 2 September 2023.
4. It will be placed in a halo orbit around the Lagrange point 1 (L1) of the Sun-Earth system, which is about 1.5 million km from the Earth.
5. This distance is only 1% of that between the Earth and Sun, and the spacecraft will take four months to travel it.
6. L1 is designed to provide remote observations of the solar corona and to study the solar atmosphere.
7. It will study solar winds which causes disturbances on Earth and aurora which are formed from interactions between the solar wind streaming out from the sun as well as Earth’s protective magnetic field, or magnetosphere.
8. L1 was launched aboard a PSLV-XL launch vehicle. The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) is an expendable medium-lift launch vehicle designed and operated by the ISRO.
9. The 1,500 kg (3,300 lb) satellite carries seven science payloads with diverse objectives.
10. L1, is named after the Hindu god of Sun who is also known as Aditya. The ISRO hasn’t given an official update on costs yet.

“After the success of Chandrayaan-3, India continues its space journey”, wrote Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the successful launch of India’s first Solar Mission, on X (formerly Twitter).

“Our tireless scientific efforts will continue in order to develop better understanding of the Universe for the welfare of entire humanity”, PM said extending congratulations to scientists and engineers at ISRO.

After the success of Chandrayaan-3, India continues its space journey.

Congratulations to our scientists and engineers at @isro for the successful launch of India’s first Solar Mission, Aditya -L1.

Our tireless scientific efforts will continue in order to develop better…

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 2, 2023

“Science, as an instrument of development, welfare and positive change, remains our magna carta. We hope these triumphs would keep inspiring our younger generation and instil deeper scientific temper in our people”, said Congress” president Mallikarjun Kharge on X.

तमसो मा ज्योतिर्गमय – Lead me from darkness to light 🇮🇳

We are indebted and grateful to our scientists, space engineers, researchers and our hard-working personnel at @ISRO for the successful launch of #AdityaL1 – Solar Observation Mission.

Together, we celebrate their success… pic.twitter.com/NFjXenC3Qj

— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) September 2, 2023

Earlier Solar Missions

1. Japan was the first to launch a mission in 1981 to study solar flares
2. The US space agency Nasa and European Space Agency (ESA) have been watching the Sun since the 1990s.
3. Nasa and ESA jointly launched a Solar Orbiter that is studying the Sun from close quarters and gathering data in February 2020.
4. Nasa”s newest spacecraft Parker Solar Probe made history by becoming the first to fly through corona, the outer atmosphere of the Sun, in 2021.

Read Also

• Aditya L1: India Launches It’s First Solar Mission
• Aditya-L1: After Chandrayaan-3 Indian Space Organisation Now Targets Sun
• Tick-Tock Tick-Tock: Countdown Started For India’s Maiden Solar Mission
• Chandrayaan 3 Mission Detects Sulphur, Oxygen On Moon’s Surface; Hunt On For Hydrogen
• Touch Down Spot Of Chandrayaan 3 To Be Known As ‘Shiv Shakti Point’: PM Modi Announces