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Aditya L1's Travel Time: How Long Will India's Solar Sentinel Take to Hit the Sun's Sweet Spot?

Updated Sep 2, 2023, 12:07 IST

How Long is Aditya L1’s Trip to the Sun?

• Aditya L1 is embarking on a 4-month journey to a vantage point 1.5 million kilometers away!
• The spacecraft will make pit stops in Low Earth Orbit and a cruise phase before hitting its final halo orbit!
• Get ready for continuous, groundbreaking observations of the Sun’s outer layers like never before!

Phase 1: The Low Earth Orbit Pitstop

Phase 2: aiming for the l1 point, key trajectory phases:.

• Launch from Earth: Initially in a Low Earth Orbit.
• Launch towards L1 Point: Using onboard propulsion.
• Cruise Phase: After exiting Earth’s gravitational influence.
• Insertion into Halo Orbit: Final destination around L1.

The Cruise Phase—Space's Version of a Road Trip!

Final insertion into halo orbit, the time factor.

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Aditya L1 status: Aditya L1 Update & Live tracking and location of Aditya L1

In this article, we discuss, Aditya L1 status and Live tracking and location of Aditya L1. As we all know Aditya L1 was launched on 2nd September 2023 and it is expected to reach its destination on 7th January 2024. We will cover all the updates of the Aditya L1 mission from its launch to its destination and its operations, So stay in orbit of Aditya L1.

Aditya L1 is India’s first mission to study the Sun and its orbit is the Lagrange point (L1) of the halo orbit around the Sun-Earth system which is approximately 1.5 million km from the Earth.

Table of Contents

The main objectives of Aditya L1 are

(1) Study the Upper atmospheric layer (chromosphere and corona) of the sun.

(2) Understand the mechanism of the solar and heating process

(3) Understand space weather, origin, composition, and solar wind dynamics

Aditya L1 Payloads

Aditya L1 payloads are of two types one is remote sensing payload and 2nd is in-situ payload ( on-site observation of L1 point).

Read more details of payloads and objectives on Aditya L1: India’s 1st mission to Sun

Aditya L1 status: Live tracking and location of Aditya L1

The aditya l1 launch (02 september 2023).

ISRO ( Indian Space Research Organisation ) launched Aditya L1 on 2nd September 2023 at 11:50 Hrs IST from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Shri Harikota by PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle ) XL/ PSLV C56.

After the successful launch, PSLV placed the Aditya L1 spacecraft precisely into its orbit and India’s first solar observatory started its journey to the destination L1.

Read also Chandrayaan 3 status: Live tracking and Location

1st Earth-bound- Maneuver ( 03 September 2023)

Aditya L1 status: The 1st Earth-bound maneuver (EBN#1) was performed on 3 September 2023 around 11:40 Hrs IST from ISTRAC, Bengaluru, and the orbit attained by the spacecraft is 245km x 22459 km, and the next maneuver (EBN #2) is scheduled on 5 September 2023 around 03:00 Hrs IST.

2nd Earth-bound Maneuver (05 September 2023)

Live tracking and location of Aditya L1: The second Earth-bound maneuver (EBN#2) was performed on 05 September 2023 at 02:45 Hrs IST from ISTRAC, Bengaluru, and the spacecraft attained a new orbit of 282 km x 40225 km. The next maneuver (EBN#3) is planned on 10 September 2023 around 02:30 Hrs IST.

3rd Earth-bound Maneuver (10 September 2023)

Aditya L1 status: 3rd Earth-bound maneuver (EBN#3) was performed successfully on 10 September 2023 around 02:30 Hrs IST from ISTRAC, Bengaluru, and the spacecraft was placed into a new orbit of 296 km x 71767 km. The 4th maneuver (EBN#4) is scheduled for 15 September 2023 around 02:00 Hrs IST.

Read also NGLV: Next Generation Rocket for India’s Space Station by 2035

4th Earth-bound Maneuver (15 September 2023)

Live tracking and location of Aditya L1: 4th Earth-bound maneuver (EBN#4) was performed successfully on 15 September 2023 around 02:15 Hrs IST from ISRO’s ISTRAC, Bengaluru, and Aditya L1 spacecraft entered into a new orbit of 256 km x 121973 km.

The upcoming maneuver Trans-Lagragean Point 1 Insertion ( TL1 I) – a departure from Earth– is planned on 19 September 2023 around 02:00 Hrs IST.

Aditya L1 started collecting data (18 September 2023)

Aditya L1 status: The collection of scientific data has commenced for the Supra Thermal & Energetic Particle Spectrometer (STEPS) instrument, which is a component of the Aditya Solar Wind Particle Experiment (ASPEX) payload.

STEPS utilizes six omnidirectional sensors to measure supra-thermal and energetic ions with energies ranging from 20 keV/nucleon to 5 MeV/nucleon, and electrons exceeding 1 MeV. This comprehensive particle analysis allows for a detailed understanding of the space environment.

STEPS was activated on September 10, 2023, at a distance exceeding 50,000 km from Earth, STEPS was positioned well beyond the Earth’s radiation belt region, equivalent to over 8 times the Earth’s radius. After following essential instrument health checks, the collection of data continued until the spacecraft had traveled beyond the 50,000 km mark from Earth.

TL1 I maneuver (19 September 2023)

Live tracking and location of Aditya L1: Trans-Lagragean Point 1 Insertion ( TL1 I) maneuver performed successfully on 19 September 2023 around 02:00 Hrs IST from ISRO’s ISTRAC, Bengaluru.

The Aditya L1 spacecraft is currently following a trajectory destined for the Sun-Earth L1 point, where it will undergo a maneuver approximately 110 days from now to be injected into orbit around L1.

Aditya L1 escapes the sphere of Earth’s influence (30 September 2023)

Live tracking and location of Aditya L1: The spacecraft has surpassed a distance of 920,000 kilometers from Earth, effectively breaking free from Earth’s gravitational influence. It is currently charting its course towards Lagrange Point 1 (L1), situated between the Sun and Earth.

Trajectory Correction Maneuver (TCM) ( 8 October 2023 )

Live tracking and location of Aditya L1: A planned Trajectory Correction Maneuver (TCM) was successfully executed on October 6, 2023, for approximately 16 seconds. This maneuver was deemed necessary to refine the spacecraft’s trajectory following an evaluation of the Trans-Lagrangean Point 1 Insertion (TL1I) maneuver performed on September 19, 2023.

TCM serves as a precise navigational tool, ensuring the spacecraft remains on the designated path toward the Halo orbit insertion around L1.

HEL1OS captures High-Energy X-rays of Solar Flares (7 November 2023)

Aditya L1 status: The HEL1OS (High Energy L1 Orbiting X-ray Spectrometer ) instrument onboard Aditya-L1 has successfully detected the intense X-ray emission associated with the impulsive phase of a solar flare.

The HEL1OS is equipped to continuously monitor the Sun’s high-energy X-ray activity, providing high-resolution spectra and rapid observations.

Solar Wind Ion Spectrometer (SWIS) is operational now (26 November 2023)

Aditya L1 status: The Aditya Solar Wind Particle Experiment (ASPEX) payload has successfully activated its second instrument, the Solar Wind Ion Spectrometer (SWIS).

ASPEX consists of two state-of-the-art instruments: the Solar Wind Ion Spectrometer (SWIS) and STEPS (SupraThermal and Energetic Particle Spectrometer). STEPS became operational on September 10, 2023. Subsequently, the SWIS instrument was activated on November 2, 2023, and has demonstrated excellent performance since then, But these data share by ISRO on 1 December 2023.

SUIT payload captures full disc image of SUN ( 8 December 2023)

Aditya L1 status: The Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (SUIT) instrument, installed on the Aditya-L1 spacecraft, has achieved a milestone by capturing full-disk images of the Sun within the 200-400 nm wavelength spectrum (near ultraviolet wavelengths). SUIT employs a range of scientific filters to acquire images of the Sun’s photosphere and chromosphere in this specific wavelength range.

The SUIT payload was activated on November 20, 2023. After a successful pre-commissioning phase, the telescope recorded its inaugural scientific images on December 6, 2023.

PAPA (Plasma Analyser Package for Aditya) switch on (8 December 2023)

The Plasma Analyser Package for Aditya (PAPA) installed on the Aditya-L1 spacecraft serves as an energy and mass analyzer payload designed to observe the flux of solar wind electrons and ions. It comprises two sensors: the Solar Wind Electron Energy Probe (SWEEP) for electron flux monitoring and the Solar Wind Ion Composition Analyser (SWICAR) for analyzing ion flux.

To assess the in-orbit condition, the payload underwent its initial activation on November 8, 2023, at 10 hours during the cruise phase. Notably, the high voltage (5 kV) was not enabled during this cruise phase. The functionality of the payload was tested using both the primary and backup DC-DC converters. Throughout the cruise phase, the PAPA payload’s electronics remained consistently activated. The 127 datasets obtained during this period were carefully analyzed at the Payload Operation Centre located at the Space Physics Laboratory, VSSC.

ISRO is planning to switch on the high voltage (5 kV) for the first time on December 11, 2023, and ISRO will be doing it gradually, step by step while keeping a close eye on all the parameters to ensure everything is monitored carefully.

Last Manuever of Aditya L1 (Aditya L1 reached halo orbit around L1 point on 6th January 2024)

Aditya L1 status: Following a 127-day journey since its launch on September 2, 2023, the Aditya L1 spacecraft achieved a milestone by entering a halo orbit around the L1 point at 4:17 PM IST on January 6, 2024. During this momentous occasion, the spacecraft executed its final burn, flawlessly performing the L1 insertion maneuver with the activation of its thrusters.

you can read What Is The Lagrange Point L1, Where Aditya L1 Has Been Positioned?

Positioned in a halo orbit around Lagrange 1 (L1), approximately 1.5 million kilometers or 15 lakh kilometers from Earth, Aditya L1 is slated to remain in this orbit for the next five years. Joining it in the halo orbit are four other operational probes. Notably, three of them are exclusively from NASA: WIND, Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE), and Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR). The fourth, the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), is a collaborative effort between NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA).

Read also Nigar Shaji: Meet the Muslim Women Scientist Behind The Success of Aditya L1

Status on 7th January 2024

As of January 7, 2024, Dr. Somanath reported that the Aditya-L1 spacecraft holds approximately 100 kilograms of remaining fuel. To sustain operations for five years at L1, the spacecraft requires around 60 kilograms of fuel. Nevertheless, the mission’s duration beyond the initial five years is contingent on various factors, including the health of the payload.

Status on 9th January 2024

PAPA Payload Fully Operational

The PAPA (Plasma Analyser Package for Aditya) payload aboard Aditya-L1 is currently operating at its full capacity of 5Kv and has commenced the transmission of high-quality data. On December 8, 2023, “PAPA” was activated for the first time during the cruise phase, with a duration of only 10 hours.

During the cruise phase, the functionality of the PAPA payload was tested to evaluate its in-orbit condition, both the primary and backup DC-DC converters were used in the assessment.

You can read more details about the PAPA payload in the above paragraph of this article.

Aditya L1 Update on 11 January 2024

Magnetometer boom deployed on the aditya l1 satellite.

The magnetometer boom, which is 6 meters long, has been successfully deployed on the Aditya-L1 satellite. This boom had been in a stowed condition for 132 days since the launch of Aditya-L1. Its deployment took place in the Halo orbit at Lagrange point L-1 on January 11, 2024.

The boom is equipped with two advanced fluxgate magnetometer sensors that boast high accuracy. These sensors are positioned at distances of 3 and 6 meters from the spacecraft body and are designed to measure the low-intensity interplanetary magnetic field in space. Stay connected for Aditya L1 status.

Aditya L1 Update on 23 February 2024

PAPA Payload Sending Data

The Plasma Analyser Package for Aditya (PAPA) payload on Aditya-L1 became operational in December and has been functioning as expected. Its sophisticated sensors have effectively identified the effects of coronal mass ejections (CMEs), including those occurring on February 10-11, 2024.

SUIT instrument aboard the Aditya L1e observe solar flare on December 31

Check out this video capturing the initial solar flare observed on December 31, 2023, through the SUIT instrument aboard the Aditya L1 #AdityaL1 #ISRO pic.twitter.com/0y7bkhlv7u — Indian Space And Technology (@Ind_SpaceTech) February 22, 2024

Read in detail Aditya L1 Update! Magnetometer Sensor of Aditya L1 Deployed

To be continued….. stay in orbit for the latest update……

Read also Indian Space startup building fuel station in Space!

Hey! I’m Misum Hasan, a passionate individual with a background in Mechanical Engineering and post-graduation in Production and industrial Engineering. With a keen interest in the field of Space and Technology,

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• 02 September 2023

India launches its first space mission to study the Sun

• Vanita Srivastava

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India’s first solar observatory sets off on its journey to the Sun-Earth L1 point aboard a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota. Credit: ISRO

India successfully launched its maiden space-based observatory to study the Sun from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota today (2 September 2023).

ISRO confirmed the launch of Aditya-L1 by Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV)-C57. “India’s first solar observatory has begun its 125-day journey to the destination of Sun-Earth L1 point,” ISRO chairman S Somnath said.

The mission comes barely ten days after India became the first country to land a spacecraft on the unexplored south pole of the Moon.

Aditya-L1 on its 1.5 million km journey will be placed in a halo orbit around the Lagrange point (L1) of the Sun-Earth system which has the advantage of viewing the Sun without any eclipses. This will provide a greater advantage of observing the solar activities continuously.

“With an indigenous space-based heliophysics mission, India demonstrates yet another major space capability, and advances its pursuit of the status of a global space power,” Tomas Hrozensky, Senior Researcher at European Space Policy Institute told Nature India .

The Journey

Initially the spacecraft will be placed in a low-earth orbit that made more elliptical at a later stage. The spacecraft will be injected into a large halo orbit around L1. It will a distance four times the distance from Earth to the Moon.

“It will take the Aditya-L1 about four months to travel to its observation point,” ISRO said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

“The mission will be the first space-based Indian observatory to study the Sun. It will allow scientists to study solar activities and their effect on space weather in real-time,” the ISRO chairman said.

Mylswamy Annadurai, director of India’s first Moon mission, told Nature India that Mission Aditya symbolises consolidation of India’s space programme in planetary science after the Moon and Mars.

Amitabha Ghosh, a contributor to NASA’s Rover Mission to Mars and a part of the Mars Pathfinder mission team told Nature India that more than 99% of the mass of our solar system resides in Sun. “It is therefore very important to understand the evolution of the Sun in order to understand our solar system.”

Aditya L1 will join the international effort to understand the Sun. Other missions currently monitoring the Sun are: Parker Solar Probe, Solar Orbiter, SOHO, ACE, IRIS, WIND, Solar Dynamics Observatory and STEREO.

The mission

The spacecraft carries seven payloads to observe the photosphere, chromosphere and the outermost layers of the Sun (corona) using electromagnetic and particle field detectors. L1 offers an uninterrupted view of the Sun, making it a strategic point to study solar activities in real time. The payloads have been indigenously developed by different laboratories in the country.

The payloads on Aditya

• Visible Emission Line Coronagraph (VELC) will study the solar corona and dynamics of coronal mass ejections.

• Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (SUIT) will image the solar photosphere and chromosphere in near ultraviolet and measure the solar irradiance variations.

• Aditya Solar Wind Particle Experiment (ASPEX) and Plasma Analyser Package for Aditya (PAPA) will study the solar wind, energetic ions and their energy distribution.

• Solar Low Energy X-ray Spectrometer (SoLEXS) and High Energy L1 Orbiting X-ray Spectrometer (HELIOS) will study the X-ray flares from the Sun over a wide X-ray energy range.

• Advanced Tri-axial High-Resolution Digital Magnetometers (MAG) will measure the interplanetary magnetic fields at the L1 point.

The mission will study the Sun’s atmosphere and its interaction with solar wind. It will also identify the sequence of processes at multiple layers (chromosphere, base and extended corona) which leads to various solar eruptive events besides providing data to understand the problem of coronal heating, coronal mass ejection, pre-flare and flare activities besides space weather. The mission will help enhance assessments of space weather events that can have damaging effects on electronic technologies both in space and on Earth, Hrozensky said.

ISRO’s Astrosat launched some years ago provides excellent data, said Ajay Lele, space expert and consultant, Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, adding that “The success of this mission would only be known after the satellite reaches its location in a few months.”

The Aditya L1 mission marks a significant step in solar physics, for the world and especially for India. Astrophysicist Sudip Bhattacharya, professor at Tata Institute of Fundamental Research told Nature India , “As the distance between the Earth and the L1 point is four times that between the Earth and the Moon, this will also demonstrate India’s prowess in travelling long distances in space,” said Bhattacharyya who is the current principal investigator of the soft x-ray telescope aboard Astrosat.

“The mission will provide insights into how the Sun's radiations affects Earth's atmosphere,” Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan, director, Centre for Security, Strategy and Technology, Observer Research Foundation told Nature India .

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d44151-023-00130-z

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Aditya L1 Launch Updates: Aditya L1 spacecraft launched successfully; first EarthBound firing scheduled for tomorrow, says ISRO

Here's the wrap: All you need to know about Aditya-L1

• Aditya-L1 spacecraft launched successfully today
• Nigar Shaji, a woman ISRO scientist helmed Aditya-L1 mission
• First earth-bound firing to raise Aditya-L1 orbit tomorrow: ISRO
• ISRO to provide next level of solar data to world with Aditya-L1
• PM Modi congratulates ISRO on successful launch of India's solar mission
• Aditya-L1 spacecraft successfully separated from PSLV rocket: ISRO
• "Sunshine moment for India': Jitendra Singh hails successful launch of Aditya-L1
• Nation proud, delighted over successful launch of Aditya-L1: Amit Shah
• Cong hails Aditya-L1 launch, says nations build capacity of science not in few years but decades

Indebted to hard-working scientists

- Congress Chief Mallikarjun Kharge on successful launch of Aditya-L1

Aditya-L1 mission news: Who is the project director of solar mission?

Aditya l1 mission live updates: what is the budget for the solar mission, salute foresight of scientists who built institutions, scientific temper resulting in chandrayaan-3.

- Delhi min Saurabh Bharadwaj

Aditya L1 Mission LIVE Updates: What are seven payloads that spacecraft is carrying?

• Visible Emission Line Coronagraph: Designed to study solar corona and dynamics of coronal mass ejections. The payload is developed by Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bengaluru in close collaboration with ISRO
• Solar Ultra-violet Imaging Telescope: Image the Solar Photosphere and Chromosphere in near Ultra-violet (UV) and to measure the solar irradiance variations in near UV. The payload is developed by Inter University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pune
• Solar Low Energy X-ray Spectrometer and High Energy L1 Orbiting X-ray Spectrometer: Designed to study the X-ray flares from the Sun over a wide X-ray energy range. Both these payloads are developed at U R Rao Satellite Centre, Bengaluru.
• Aditya Solar wind Particle Experiment and Plasma Analyser Package for Aditya payload s: Designed to study the solar wind and energetic ions, as well as their energy distribution. ASPEX PAPA ASPEX was developed at Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad. PAPA is developed at Space Physics Laboratory, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram
• Magnetometer payload: Capable of measuring interplanetary magnetic fields at the L1 point. The payload is developed at Laboratory for Electro Optics Systems, Bengaluru.

Aditya-L1 mission news: After launch, what is next?

• Aditya-L1 stays Earth-bound orbits for 16 days
• To undergo 5 maneuvres to gain the necessary velocity for its journey
• Aditya-L1 undergoes a Trans-Lagrangian1 insertion maneuvre, marking the beginning of its 110-day trajectory to the destination around the L1 Lagrange point
• Upon arrival at the L1 point, another maneuvre binds Aditya-L1 to an orbit around L1
• Satellite spends its whole mission life orbiting around L1 in an irregularly shaped orbit in a plane roughly perpendicular to the line joining the Earth and the Sun.

Aditya-L1 mission news: Aditya-L1 can continuously observe the sun without being hindered by eclipses or occultation

Aditya l1 mission news: 1.5 million km in four months, aditya l1 mission: congress congratulates isro for aditya l1's successful launch, aditya l1 mission news: another feather in isro’s cap, says eam jaishankar, isro aditya l1 mission: how long is the aditya-l1 mission, aditya l1 mission live updates: aditya-l1 started generating power, mission successful: what does the spacecraft carry, aditya l1 launch live updates: sunshine moment, says union space minister jitendra singh, the aditya l1 spacecraft has been injected in an elliptical orbit...which is intended very precisely by the pslv. i want to congratulate the pslv for such a different mission approach today to put aditya l1 in the right orbit.

- ISRO Chairman S Somanath

Aditya L1 Launch LIVE Updates: PM Modi congratulates ISRO

Aditya l1 launch live updates: minister jitendra singh addressing, mission accomplished, mission accomplished: aditya l1 separation complete, aditya-l1 launch live updates: thrust cut-off for fourth stage of the pslv has been achieved., aditya-l1 mission news: objectives of india’s solar mission.

• 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
• Origin of Coronal Mass Ejections (CME) and flares and near-earth space weather

Aditya-L1 Mission News: About Aditya-L1's strategic location

Aditya l1 mission live updates: aditya l1 now on ps4 coasting phase, i extend heartiest congratulations to everyone on the launch of mission aditya.

- Union Home Minister Amit Shah

Aditya L1 Launch LIVE Updates: Stages of Aditya L1 Mission

• Rocket Ignition
• Ignition of two air-lift PSOMs
• Separation of four Ground-Lit PSOMs
• Separation of two air-lit PSOMs
• PS-1 separation
• PS2 ignition
• Heatshield separation
• PS2 separation
• HPS3 ignition
• HPS3 separation
• 1st ignition of PS4
• 1st cut-off of PS4
• 2nd ignition of PS4
• 2nd cut-off from PS4
• Satellite separation

Aditya L1 Launch LIVE Updates: Major science objectives of Aditya-L1 mission

• Study of Solar upper atmospheric (chromosphere and corona) dynamics.
• Study of chromospheric and coronal heating, physics of the partially ionized plasma, initiation of the coronal mass ejections, and flares
• Observe the in-situ particle and plasma environment providing data for the study of particle dynamics from the Sun.
• Physics of solar corona and its heating mechanism.
• Diagnostics of the coronal and coronal loops plasma: Temperature, velocity and density.
• Development, dynamics and origin of CMEs.
• Identify the sequence of processes that occur at multiple layers (chromosphere, base and extended corona) which eventually leads to solar eruptive events.
• Magnetic field topology and magnetic field measurements in the solar corona .
• Drivers for space weather (origin, composition and dynamics of solar wind .

Aditya L1 Launch LIVE Updates: Phase four of separation underway

Aditya l1 launch live updates: the third stage of separation was completed successfully without any issue, says isro, aditya l1 launch live updates: aditya-l1 spacecraft begins its journey towards the sun, aditya l1 mission live updates: five minutes over since launch. two stages completed successfully, says isro, aditya l1 launch live updates: watch the historic moment.

— ANI (@ANI)

Aditya L1 Mission LIVE Updates: Visuals of Aditya L1 launch

Isro's pslv rocket carrying aditya l1 lifts off from sriharikota on 1.5 million km journey to halo orbit around the sun, aditya l1 launch live: union minister of state for science and technology jitendra singh at the mission control centre at satish dhawan space centre (sdsc) shar, sriharikota ahead of the launch of isro's solar mission aditya l-1, aditya l1 mission live updates: one minute to go, aditya l1 mission live updates: less than 10 minutes for the launch, aditya l1 launch updates: devendra fadnavis wishes isro all the best.

— Dev_Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis)

Aditya L1 Mission LIVE Updates: People in large numbers at Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota to witness launch of ISRO's solar mission Aditya L-1

Visuals from sriharikota, we are all very excited about the launch. this is a very unique mission from india to study the sun...it will take maybe a month or so to commission all the experiments that are there on the aditya l1. after that, we will be able to continuously start looking into the sun..

- Dr. Anil Bharadwaj, Director, Physical Research Laboratory

Aditya L1 Launch LIVE Updates: Live streaming started. Watch this space for live updates

Aditya L1 Launch LIVE Updates: Get ready to witness history in making; less than thirty minutes now left for launch of India's maiden solar mission.

Aditya l1 mission live updates: visuals from mission control centre at satish dhawan space centre (sdsc) shar, sriharikota, aditya l1 mission live: former isro chairman g. madhavan nair on aditya l-1, aditya l1 mission live: aditya l1 to look at the most inner part of sun's corona, aditya l1 mission live updates: one more hour to go, isro aditya l1 mission: largest aditya-l1 sun mission payload to send 1,440 images per day, first images to be available by february-end, aditya l1 launch live updates: how to watch aditya-l1's launch live online.

• You can watch the launch of Aditya-L1 live online on ISRO Website's - https://isro.gov.in.
• The space agency will also telecast the launch of India's maiden solar mission on Facebook as well at https://facebook.com/ISRO.
• Besides, you can catch it live on YouTube (https://youtube.com/watch?v=_IcgGYZTXQw) or DD National TV channel from 11:20 Hrs. IST.

Aditya L1 Launch LIVE Updates: Aditya-L1 will travel 1.5 million kilometres in four months

Aditya-l1 mission: fact sheet.

Aditya L1 Launch Live: Former ISRO scientist Manish Purohit on Aditya L1 launch

Aditya l1 mission live: programming manager of chandrayaan-3 on aditya l1, aditya l1 launch live updates: two more hours to go, aditya l1 mission live updates: aditya l1 to travel 1.5 million kilometres.

Aditya L1 Mission LIVE Updates: Astronomer and Professor RC Kapoor on ISRO's solar mission

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Aditya L1 Mission very challenging: Former ISRO scientist Mylswamy Annadurai

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India launches spacecraft to study the sun a week after landing on the moon

Aditya-l1 could help us understand how solar phenomena affect satellites in space..

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to recreate India's IT boom with space, a government official told Reuters . And the Indian Space Research Organisation's efforts do show that the country truly is serious about wanting to be known as a major player. Just a week after Chandrayaan-3 touched down on the moon , the country's space agency has already launched a rocket carrying Aditya-L1, the first Indian mission dedicated to observing the sun.

Aditya-L1 will travel 930,000 miles over four months until it reaches the L1 Lagrange Point between the sun and our planet. A Lagrange point is a place of equilibrium between two massive orbiting bodies where objects tend to stay put, thereby minimizing a spacecraft's fuel consumption. The spacecraft will remain in orbit to collect data that scientists are hoping would help them figure out why the sun's corona is hotter than its surface.

They're also hoping that the mission could provide information on how solar radiation and various solar phenomena affect communication systems and satellites, as well as power grids. By understanding those effects, space companies and agencies can better protect satellites in orbit. If scientists can predict coronal mass ejections, for instance, they can alert operators so that they can shut down their satellites' power before the phenomenon occurs. In addition, scientists are hoping that Aditya-L1 can shed light on solar wind behavior and on how the sun's activity can influence the Earth's climate in the long run.

Sankar Subramanian, principal scientist of the mission, said: "We have made sure we will have a unique data set that is not currently available from any other mission. This will allow us to understand the sun, its dynamics as well as the inner heliosphere, which is an important element for current-day technology, as well as space-weather aspects."

India already has several other missions lined up for the coming years. It's working with Japan to send an uncrewed lander and rover to explore the south pole region of the moon by 2025. Before that, by next year, it's planning to launch orbiters to observe Mars and Venus.

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Aditya-L1 launch time: When and where to watch solar probe lift-off

Aditya-l1 launch mission time: the propulsion module of isro's solar probe will take around 125 days to cover nearly 1.5 million km from earth to reach the l1..

Aditya-L1 launch mission time : In less than 24 hours, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is set to launch its ambitious Aditya L1 solar mission – days after the Chandrayaan-3 made a landmark touch down on the lunar surface, a feat only four countries have achieved so far.

To set up the first space-based observatory to study the Sun, ISRO will launch the mission using the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV)-C57 from Andhra Pradesh's Sriharikota launchpad tomorrow at 11:50 am.

Follow Aditya L1 launch LIVE updates here

Where can you watch the aditya l1 mission launch.

The Aditya L1 propulsion module will cover around 1.5 million km of distance in nearly 125 days to reach the Lagrangian Point 1 situated between Earth and Sun.

The PSLV-C57 carrying a total of seven payloads will lift off on September 2 at 11:50 am. The live telecast of the launch can be witnessed on ISRO's website, YouTube channel along with its social media handles. Viewers can also watch the live telecast on Doordarshan.

Similarly, you can also visit the Hindustan Times website to catch all the live action of the Aditya L1 solar mission.

What is the Aditya L1 mission?

The primary objective of the mission is to study atmospheric dynamics of the outer-most layer of Sun's atmosphere called corona and chromosphere. It will also carry out studies to find out the sequence of processes that occur at multiple layers of the Sun which eventually lead to several solar events including the ejection of solar mass in the form of solar flares.

"The suits of Aditya L1 payloads are expected to provide most crucial information to understand the problem of coronal heating, coronal mass ejection, pre-flare and flare activities and their characteristics, dynamics of space weather, propagation of particle and fields etc.," ISRO said in a statement.

Four out of seven payloads will study the Sun, whereas, three of them will carry out experiment at the Lagrangian Point to observe the local environment.

Why has ISRO opted the Lagrangian Point 1?

The name Lagrangian Point was given after the French mathematician Joseph Louis Lagrange for its discovery. These points are where the gravitational forces between two terrestrial objects balance each other enabling a spacecraft to hover in the area without the use of external force. There are a total of five such points and L1 is the most significant of them.

"A satellite placed in the halo orbit around the L1 point has the major advantage of continuously viewing the Sun without any occultation/eclipses. This will provide a greater advantage of observing solar activities and their effect on space weather in real-time," ISRO said.

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How is ESA supporting ISRO’s Aditya-L1 solar mission?

UPDATE: Aditya-L1 was successfully launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota Range (SDSC SHAR), India,  on 2 September  at 11 :50 IST (08:20 CEST).

The Indian Space Research Organisation  (ISRO) plans to launch its Aditya-L1 solar observatory from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota Range (SDSC SHAR), India, at 11:50 IST (08:20 CEST) on 2 September 2023.

It’s an ambitious mission that will generate vast quantities of science data as the spacecraft balances in an unstable orbit. With its global network of deep space ground stations and experience flying similar missions, ESA has just the right infrastructure and expertise to provide support.

Aditya-L1 will be the first Indian satellite mission to study the Sun. After launch, the spacecraft will travel to its new home – the first Lagrange point (L1) of the Sun-Earth system.

From there, its seven instruments will be used to investigate open questions about our dynamic and turbulent star. Four of them will view the Sun directly, while the other three will carry out in-situ measurements to explore the nature of the space weather that the Sun generates in interplanetary space.

ESA support to Aditya-L1

ESA is supporting Aditya-L1 in two ways: the Agency is providing deep space communication services to the mission, and, last year, ESA assisted ISRO with the validation of important new flight dynamics software.

Communication is an essential part of every space mission. Without ground station support, it’s impossible to get any science data from a spacecraft, to know how it’s doing, to know if it is safe or even to know where it is.

“ESA’s global network of deep space tracking stations and use of internationally recognised technical standards allows us to help our partners track, command and receive data from their spacecraft almost anywhere in the Solar System,” says Ramesh Chellathurai, ESA Service Manager and ESA Cross-Support Liaison Officer for ISRO.

“For the Aditya-L1 mission, we are providing support from all three of our 35-metre deep space antennas in Australia, Spain and Argentina, as well as support from our Kourou station in French Guiana and coordinated support from Goonhilly Earth Station in the UK.”

ESA is the main provider of ground station services for Aditya-L1. ESA stations will support the mission from beginning to end: from the critical ‘Launch and Early Orbit Phase’, throughout the journey to L1, and to send commands to and receive science data from Aditya-L1 for multiple hours per day over the next two years of routine operations.

Lagrange point 1 – a perfect home for solar explorers

When one large mass orbits another, their gravitational forces and orbital motion interact to create five equilibrium points where a spacecraft can operate for a prolonged period of time without having to use a lot of fuel. These locations are known as Lagrange points .

The first Lagrange point, L1, is located between Earth and the Sun, roughly one percent of the distance to the Sun. It’s a great location for solar explorers such as Aditya-L1, as it allows for an unobstructed view of the Sun that is never eclipsed by Earth. At L1, Aditya-L1 will join spacecraft such as the ESA/NASA Solar Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), which has been at L1 since 1996.

Spacecraft that are designed to look outwards at the outer Solar System and far beyond, such as the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope or ESA’s Euclid and Gaia telescopes, instead travel to L2. L2 is an opposite to L1, located the same distance from Earth but on the other side of the planet, as seen from the Sun. At L2, these spacecraft always have the brightness of the Sun and Earth behind them as they gaze outwards at faint objects hiding in the darkness of the Universe.

Getting there

Aditya-L1 will not travel to L1 directly from launch. Instead, ISRO operators will need to perform a ‘transfer manoeuvre’ similar to the one that ESA performed recently to take its Euclid telescope to L2 .

This manoeuvre will be performed soon after launch, as the amount of fuel required to achieve the necessary trajectory grows quickly with time. Aditya-L1 will first perform manoeuvres to adjust its orbit around Earth after launch, before performing a transfer manoeuvre to L1. The spacecraft will reach L1 approximately 100 days after launch.

Staying there

L1 is one of the ‘unstable’ Lagrange equilibrium points. Keeping a spacecraft exactly at the L1 point is practically impossible.

Instead, spacecraft enter orbit around L1 as if the Lagrange point were an ‘invisible planet’. Even so, due to the instability of this orbit, small trajectory errors will grow quickly. As a result, spacecraft must perform ‘station keeping’ manoeuvres roughly once a month to keep them in the correct orbit.

An inability to perform these monthly manoeuvres can be a big problem. In June 1998, the SOHO mission experienced an issue and failed to carry out its station keeping. The error in its orbit grew so quickly and so unpredictably that contact was lost with the spacecraft, and it began drifting into the void.

A combined team of NASA and ESA experts set to work to safely recover the spacecraft, eventually finding it far from its expected position and reestablishing contact. 25 years later, SOHO is still in orbit around L1 and returning valuable scientific data.

ISRO develops advanced flight dynamics software

To get to L1 and safely stay in orbit, operators need to know exactly where their spacecraft was, is and will be. To do so, they apply mathematical formulas to the tracking data from the spacecraft to calculate its past, present and future location in a process known as ‘orbit determination’.

Orbit determination is carried out with the help of specially designed software. ISRO has designed and developed new orbit determination software for Aditya-L1. However, given the tiny margin for error that comes with operating a spacecraft at L1, they requested support from ESA to validate it.

ESA puts it to the test

From April to December 2022, ESA and ISRO teams worked together intensively to evaluate ISRO’s strategy for operating Aditya-L1 and challenge their new orbit determination software.

“With its experience flying and even rescuing missions at the Lagrange points, ESA was in the perfect position to help ISRO improve their new orbit determination software and demonstrate that it has the fidelity and accuracy that the organisation needs in order to operate a spacecraft at a Lagrange point for the first time,” says ESA Flight Dynamics expert Frank Budnik.

First, the ESA team invented typical scenarios that the ISRO team could face when operating Aditya-L1. Both teams then used their own orbit determination software to predict how Aditya-L1’s orbit would evolve in these scenarios and compared their results.

The next step saw ESA provide ISRO with simulated tracking data similar to the data that ESA uses to train its own flight dynamics teams. This includes data typical of a spacecraft’s critical Launch and Early Orbit Phase, a complex orbit insertion manoeuvre or even a planetary flyby. The ISRO team used their software to analyse the data, and then both teams worked together to detect any areas that could be improved and fine-tune some of the algorithms.

Finally, the ESA team provided the ISRO team with tracking data from a real spacecraft orbiting L1. Both teams used their own software to analyse the data from ESA’s former LISA Pathfinder mission and compared their results once again.

The results of the exercise were valuable for ESA and ISRO and both teams are confident in the capabilities of ISRO’s software.

It’s not just orbits that come full circle

For some of ESA’s flight dynamics experts, this exercise felt familiar. As ESA prepared to launch its own early deep space missions, it faced similar challenges to those ISRO faces today. ESA reached out to a team from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) to help validate the interplanetary orbit determination software for ESA’s Mars Express mission and for the comet chaser, Rosetta, both of which were then successfully navigated by ESA. The exercise was similar in scope and goal to the one carried out by ESA and ISRO for Aditya-L1 last year.

The international space community

ESA’s two-pronged support to Aditya-L1 demonstrates the value of international spaceflight collaboration. ESA’s ground station network ( known as ‘Estrack’ ) and flight dynamics expertise have been built up over decades of flying the most challenging spacecraft missions and are now cornerstones of the Agency’s support to its partners.

On Earth, Estrack is undergoing an expansion. Construction is underway on ESA’s fourth deep space antenna , as the Agency prepares to meet the rising demand for communication bandwidth from its own deep space and space safety missions and from support to an increasing number of partners.

Meanwhile, in space, Aditya-L1 will be the newest member of the fleet of solar explorers, including ESA’s Solar Orbiter , SOHO , NASA’s Parker Solar Probe and others, on humankind’s shared mission to unravel the mysteries of our star.

Follow @esaoperations on Twitter/X for updates on ESA’s support to Aditya-L1.

Watch the launch on ISRO's YouTube livestream.

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You can watch India's Aditya-L1 solar probe launch live on Sept. 2. Here's what it will do.

After becoming the first nation to land a spacecraft near the lunar south pole, India is setting its sights on the sun.

After becoming the first nation to successfully land a spacecraft near the south pole of the moon, India is setting its sights on a brighter target. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will soon launch its first solar observatory, on a mission to investigate some pressing sun mysteries. 

The spacecraft, Aditya-L1 , is scheduled to launch atop a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) on Saturday (Sept. 2) at 2:20 a.m. EDT (0620 GMT) from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, India. You can watch it here on Space.com, courtesy of ISRO. 

The launch will send Aditya-L1 into low-Earth orbit. The probe will then engage its propulsion system and head to the Earth-Sun Lagrange Point 1 (hence the L1 part of the mission's name; "Aditya" means " sun " in Sanskrit), a gravitationally stable about 1 million miles (1.5 million kilometers) from our planet. From there, Aditya-L1 will be able to study the sun without interference from eclipses or occultations. 

Related:  Space weather: What is it and how is it predicted?

The mission has many scientific objectives. Its seven instruments are designed to observe the sun's atmosphere , its surface (known as the photosphere) and the magnetic fields and particles around our star and closer to home.

One of the most intense regions of study for Aditya-L1 will be the sun's upper atmosphere, home to one of the most longstanding and troubling mysteries in solar science — the coronal heating problem .

Investigating the sun's hottest mystery

The corona, made of wispy and nebulous plasma, is of particular interest to solar scientists because of how hot it is. That might sound like a given. After all, we are talking about the atmosphere of the sun here. 

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The issue is that the corona is too hot. It's hotter than the solar surface — far, far hotter. The temperature of the corona can reach 2 million degrees Fahrenheit (1.1 million degrees Celsius), according to NASA . The photosphere, around 1,000 miles (1,600 km) below it, has an average temperature of around 10,000 degrees F (5,500 degrees C), meaning the sun's outer atmosphere is about 200 times hotter than its surface!

To see why this is so puzzling, imagine a slightly less "out there" example. During a camping trip, you light a campfire, and as you are toasting marshmallows, you notice that the treats roast faster when you hold them farther from the fire. You check and indeed find that the air farther away from the campfire is hotter than the air closer to it. That's akin to what is happening with the corona. 

The vast majority of the sun's heat comes from the nuclear fusion at its core. So, temperatures should increase moving toward the heart of our star. And the layers of the sun do conform to this prediction — except for the corona, and scientists are desperate to know why. 

Studying the corona is difficult to do here on Earth because photons — particles of light — from the sun's surface dominate and "wash out" those from the outer atmosphere. 

The best way to see the corona from Earth is to wait for a total solar eclipse, when the disk of the moon obscures the photosphere and the wispy corona is no longer overpowered. Alternatively, solar scientists can use an instrument called a coronagraph, which attaches to a telescope and replicates this effect.

Aditya-L1 will carry such an instrument, called the Visible Emission Line Coronagraph (VELC). The ISRO probe will also take ultraviolet images of the corona and photosphere using its Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (SUIT).

Aditya-L1 will do more than just investigate the coronal heating mystery. The probe will also look at solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs), powerful events that can affect life here on Earth.

Related: The worst solar storms in history

Checking out explosive solar weather

CMEs are huge clouds of solar plasma blasted into space when the sun's magnetic field lines become twisted and then "snap back" into realignment, a process called magnetic reconnection. 

This usually occurs in regions of the sun that are particularly active, something that can be indicated by the presence of sunspots . Sunspots, also known as active regions, can also give rise to solar flares , which are bursts of electromagnetic radiation that often accompany CMEs but can also occur independently. 

Magnetic reconnection hurls out solar plasma at speeds as great as 7 million mph (11 million kph) — around 4,500 times faster than the top speed of a jet fighter. Aditya-L1 will look for the mechanisms that drive these solar phenomena, hunting for processes in the corona and in deeper layers of the sun.

Additionally, the spacecraft will look at these events after they have traveled away from the sun. 

CMEs directed at Earth can reach our planet in as little as 15 to 18 hours, with slower clouds often taking days to reach us. 

Aditya-L1 will study how this plasma changes during its journey from the sun to Earth. It will also make in-situ measurements of the plasma environment close to our planet, using its Aditya Solar wind Particle Experiment (ASPEX) and the Plasma Analyser Package For Aditya (PAPA).

The charged particles blasted out by Earth-directed CMEs are channeled down our planet's magnetic field lines. They then collide with atoms of oxygen and nitrogen in Earth's upper atmosphere, creating dazzling light shows called auroras over our planet's poles. But CMEs can also create space weather conditions around Earth that aren't quite so pleasing.

For example, the eruptions can spark powerful geomagnetic storms, which can affect satellites and even communication and power infrastructure here on Earth. So it's vital to understand space weather and the plasma environment of Earth, scientists say. Also important is the understanding of magnetic fields around our planet, which Aditya-L1 will study using its Advanced Tri-axial High-Resolution Digital Magnetometer instrument.

—  Earth's sun: Facts about the sun's age, size and history

—  ISRO: The Indian Space Research Organisation

—  Powerful sun storm knocks out radio transmissions across North America

Other sun puzzles for Aditya-L1

Aditya-L1 will also examine coronal loops, massive hoops of plasma that happen when the curved arc of a magnetic field reaches out of the photosphere and channels plasma through it. 

These loops extend out for thousands of miles, making the sun appear like a massive, messy ball of plasma yarn.

Coronal loops appear to be connected to sunspots; the loops tend to stretch from one of these dark patches on the sun and terminate at another. Scientists aren't quite sure what the three-dimensional structure of coronal loops is. Some recent research suggests they don't balloon out as much as they should at high altitudes, indicating that some coronal loops could actually be 2D illusions. 

Aditya-L1 will take diagnostics of coronal loops and the plasma that comprises them, measuring their temperature, velocity and density. The spacecraft will also examine the dynamics of the sun's magnetic field that guide coronal loops.

The probe's launch follows shortly on the heels of the successful touchdown of India's Chandrayaan-3 mission, which last week aced the first-ever soft landing near the moon's south pole.

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: [email protected].

Robert Lea is a science journalist in the U.K. whose articles have been published in Physics World, New Scientist, Astronomy Magazine, All About Space, Newsweek and ZME Science. He also writes about science communication for Elsevier and the European Journal of Physics. Rob holds a bachelor of science degree in physics and astronomy from the U.K.’s Open University. Follow him on Twitter @sciencef1rst.

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India launches its first space mission to the sun after lunar landing win

India launched its first space mission to study the sun on Saturday, nearly a week after becoming the first country to land an unmanned robotic spacecraft near the moon’s south pole.

The Aditya-L1 spacecraft, the latest mission in India’s ambitious space program, took off around noon local time from the launchpad at Sriharikota in southern India, embarking on a journey to observe the outer atmosphere of the sun.

The launch was successful, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) said soon after.

“The vehicle has placed the satellite precisely into its intended orbit. India’s first solar observatory has begun its journey to the destination of Sun-Earth L1 point,” the ISRO said Saturday.

The mission’s name is a Sanskrit word for sun. L1 stands for Lagrange point 1, referring to the location in space between the sun and Earth where the satellite is headed and where the gravitational forces of the two bodies are in equilibrium, according to the ISRO.

India lands a spacecraft softly on the moon’s surface

“This allows an object placed there to remain relatively stable with respect to both celestial bodies,” it said.

The Aditya-L1 spacecraft will orbit the Earth several times before traveling to its destination. It will take nearly four months for the satellite to reach that point, some 1.5 million km (932,000 miles) from the Earth.

The satellite will spend its entire mission life orbiting that location, where it will have an uninterrupted view of the sun, the space agency said .

India’s Moon mission signals country’s growing space ambitions

It is carrying seven payloads to study the sun’s corona, the outermost part of its atmosphere, as well as the photosphere — the sun’s surface, or what we see from Earth — and the chromosphere, a thin layer of plasma between the photosphere and the corona.

The launch follows the August touchdown of the Chandrayaan-3 mission to the moon, which marked a success for India’s growing aspirations in space and was cheered around the country of more than 1 billion people.

India’s lunar landing leaves a nation enthralled and briefly unified

The lunar mission made India the fourth nation to touch down on the moon — after the United States, the Soviet Union and China — and the first to land near the south pole, a coveted area thought to hold water in the form of ice.

Jitendra Singh, India’s minister of state for science and technology, praised the space agency for Saturday’s mission to the sun, calling it “a sunshine moment for India.”

Christian Davenport contributed to this report.

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ISRO’s Aditya-L1: Payloads, significance and impact on day-to-day life

Payloads onboard aditya-l1 recently captured the sun and its dynamic activities. but what are the objectives of these payloads how significant is india’s maiden solar mission and what is its potential impact on day-to-day life.

— Amit Kumar

( The Indian Express has launched a new series of articles for UPSC aspirants written by seasoned writers and erudite scholars on issues and concepts spanning History, Polity, International Relations, Art, Culture and Heritage, Environment, Geography, Science and Technology, and so on. Read and reflect with subject experts and boost your chance of cracking the much-coveted UPSC CSE. In the following article, Amit Kumar, a doctoral candidate at IIT Delhi, describes seven payloads on board India’s maiden solar mission, the potential impact of the mission on our day-to-day life, and the way forward.)

The Indian Space Research Organisation ( ISRO ) recently shared photographs of the Sun and its dynamic activities during the solar storm , which occurred in May. The images were captured by payloads onboard India’s maiden solar mission Aditya-L1.

These images will be useful in studying solar flares, energy distribution, sun spot, understanding and predicting space weather, and monitoring solar activity and UV radiation over a wide wavelength range, and studying long-term solar variations, ISRO noted. 

But what are the payloads onboard Aditya-L1? How many of them are there? What is the potential impact of the mission on day-to-day life?

Payloads on board Aditya-L1

Aditya-L1 carries seven payloads to observe the Sun, each designed for specific observations. These are as follows:

Visible Emission Line Coronagraph (VELC): This is the primary payload onboard Aditya-L1 that images the solar corona in visible and infrared wavelengths. It is designed to study the dynamics of the solar corona, including coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and coronal magnetic field. It helps to understand the heating mechanisms of the solar corona, the origin and propagation of CMEs, and provides critical data for space weather forecasting.

Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (SUIT): The second payload captures images and observes the solar photosphere and chromosphere in the near-ultraviolet (UV) range. It enables us to study the solar atmosphere’s temperature dynamics, as well as the influence of solar UV radiation on the Earth’s climate.

It’s interesting to note that SUIT and VELC captured the Sun and its dynamic activities in May when flares erupted in the active region AR13664 on the Sun. This was associated with CMEs during May 8 and 9.

Aditya Solar Wind Particle Experiment (ASPEX): The payload studies the properties of solar wind particles, including their density, velocity, and temperature. It will contribute to better understanding of the solar wind’s effects on the Earth’s space environment and the broader heliosphere (region of space surrounding the solar system that is filled with the solar magnetic field and the protons and electrons of the solar wind).

Plasma Analyser Package for Aditya (PAPA): It gathers data on plasma (state of matter consisting of a hot, ionized gas with free-moving charged particles, including ions and electrons) characteristics and composition in the interplanetary space. Also, it will provide understanding of the Sun’s impact on space weather. The payload has been operational since December 2023, and detected the impact of CMEs, including those that occurred during February 10-11, 2024.

Solar Low Energy X-ray Spectrometer (SoLEXS): The payload is designed to monitor and analyse the solar X-ray emissions, particularly focusing on the low-energy (1 keV to 30 keV) X-ray spectrum. This allows scientists to distinguish between different types of solar events and understand heating mechanisms of the solar corona and the dynamics of solar flares.

High Energy L1 Orbiting X-ray Spectrometer (HEL1OS): It is specifically designed to detect high-energy (30 keV to several hundred keV) X-rays, which are produced during intense solar flares and other energetic processes in the Sun’s corona.

Magnetometer (MAG): The primary purpose of the Magnetometer is to measure the magnitude and direction of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) in the vicinity of the L1 point. This field is influenced by solar activity, such as solar flares, CMEs, and solar wind. The Magnetometer’s data is crucial for understanding the onset and progression of geomagnetic storms (temporary disturbance of the Earth’s magnetosphere caused by solar wind ), which can lead to spectacular auroras and potentially disruptive effects on Earth’s technology such as power supply and communication satellites.

Potential impact of the mission on day-to-day life

Aditya-L1 represents India’s entry into solar and space weather studies. The mission is a testament to India’s growing capabilities in space exploration and scientific research, following other successful missions like Chandrayaan and Mangalyaan. 

In addition, Aditya-L1 will provide valuable data that could lead to new insights into solar dynamics, the solar cycle (An 11-year cycle where the Sun’s magnetic activity alternates between high and low activity), and the Sun’s influence on space weather and Earth’s climate.

While primarily focused on scientific research and the study of the Sun, the Aditya-L1 mission has many applications that can impact day-to-day life. 

Space weather forecasting: Aditya-L1 will help improve our understanding of solar phenomena such as solar flares, CMEs, and the solar wind. These events can cause geomagnetic storms that disrupt satellite communications, and power grids on Earth. Furthermore, the enhanced ionisation can lead to degradation or loss of satellite signal and in extreme cases the solar flares can damage satellite electronics.

Many weather forecasting models rely on satellite data. Protecting these satellites ensures the accuracy and availability of weather forecasts that affect daily activities, agriculture, disaster preparedness, and more. In addition, solar flares emit charged particles that interact with Earth’s magnetic field, leading to fluctuations in magnetic field that induce currents in power line conductors (Faraday’s Law of Electromagnetic Induction), potentially causing voltage instability, transformer damage, and widespread power outages.

Climate and environmental monitoring: The Sun influences Earth’s climate, and understanding solar variability is key to studying climate change. Aditya-L1’s observations will contribute to better models of solar energy input to Earth’s climate system. Improved understanding of solar impacts on climate can lead to more accurate climate models and predictions, which are essential for agriculture such as crop yield, water resource management, disaster preparedness, and sustainability.

Radiation exposure awareness: Aditya-L1 will monitor solar radiation, particularly during solar flares and CMEs, which can increase radiation levels in space and at high altitudes. Information from Aditya-L1 can help in issuing alerts about increased radiation exposure during solar storms.

Enhanced communication and navigation: By studying the Sun’s influence on the Earth’s ionosphere, Aditya-L1 can contribute to more accurate models for predicting disruptions in satellite communication and GPS signals. This can lead to more reliable communication and navigation systems, which are critical in various industries and for everyday tasks.

Way Forward

Aditya-L1 is significant for providing unprecedented insights into solar activities like solar flares and CMEs, which affect space weather and impact Earth’s environment, including agriculture and weather. It advances global scientific knowledge and improves space weather forecasting. Some of the future prospects emanating from Aditya-L1’s success are discussed below:

Data utilisation and research: The data collected from the Aditya-L1 mission will need to be meticulously analysed by scientists and researchers. This will involve collaboration between ISRO, academic institutions, and international space agencies to extract meaningful insights from the observations. The data from this mission could open up new areas of research in solar physics, space weather, and astrophysics.

Future solar missions: Building on the success of Aditya-L1, ISRO and other space agencies might develop more advanced solar missions. These could involve more sophisticated instruments, higher resolution imaging, and even manned missions for solar exploration. Aditya-L1’s success could pave the way for other deep space missions, including missions to study other stars, interstellar space, or planets with similar magnetic and atmospheric conditions as Earth.

Global collaboration and knowledge sharing: Aditya-L1’s mission could strengthen India’s collaborations with other space agencies, fostering joint missions and shared scientific goals. This is especially important for tackling global challenges like space weather, which affects the entire planet. ISRO could consider providing open access to Aditya-L1’s data for global researchers, which would amplify the mission’s impact by allowing a broader scientific community to engage with the data and contribute to discoveries.

Mitigating space weather impacts: The data from Aditya-L1 can be used to develop and refine strategies to protect Earth’s infrastructure from space weather events. This could involve designing more resilient satellites, improving early warning systems for power grids, and safeguarding aviation and communication networks. Governments and industries could integrate space weather predictions into their risk management and disaster preparedness plans, reducing the potential economic and societal impacts of solar events.

In summary, Aditya-L1 is not just a milestone for ISRO but a significant leap forward in understanding the Sun and its influence on the solar system. The mission’s success will not only contribute to scientific knowledge but also have practical applications that benefit daily life on Earth. Moving forward, building on the knowledge and technology developed through this mission will be crucial for future space exploration, global collaboration, and the advancement of science and technology.

Post Read Question

How does the Aditya-L1 mission contribute to understanding the Sun and its influence on the solar system?

What are the objectives of the seven payloads onboard Aditya-L1? Discuss with examples.

What is the potential significance of the Aditya-L1 mission in day-to-day life?

What are the other interplanetary missions of ISRO?

(Amit Kumar is a doctoral candidate at IIT Delhi.)

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New Delhi:  On the morning of 2 September, 2023—just a fortnight after India’s successful landing near the lunar south pole—the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched its first mission to study the Sun, Aditya-L1.

As the nation collectively cheered and praised the Indian space agency for the launch, Jagdev Singh from Bengaluru’s Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) silently watched his work of 17 years finally come to fruition.

Singh, the first principal investigator of the Aditya-L1 mission, said that he was met with scorn and surprise when he first pitched the idea of observing the Sun from space instead of conducting only ground-based scrutiny. It took years to convince the management of his institute, the government and even ISRO scientists that this could be successfully executed. Finally, a year since its launch, observations from Aditya-L1 are being taken note of by scientists worldwide.

“I do not want any credit. When I saw the mission take flight, I felt all those efforts were worth it,” said Singh. Today, his “idea” promises to predict coronal mass ejections and study space weather like never before.

Speaking to ThePrint on the first anniversary of Aditya-L1’s launch, the scientist added that he had first proposed the mission in 2006. “Initially, we also faced problems with funding. But in 2023, when Aditya-L1 took off, it was a great achievement,” he said.

Excerpts from the interview:

How was aditya-l1 conceived what were the initial challenges.

I had a lot of experience observing total solar eclipses. However, during a total solar eclipse, we get only a few moments to observe. I had done this for 10 years already, but could only manage data for 40-50 days. That’s when I realised that we needed to go to space. Ground-based observations were insufficient to carry out the scientific observations needed.

With my experience, we could do something different from what the Americans and Europeans had already done. We thought of designing our experiments to work in the visible range—the green and the red lines. This had not been done before. That’s how the idea of the Visible Emission Line Coronagraph (VELC) was developed.

It took a year or so to convince the management. When the proposal was accepted, it got stuck at ISRO. They told us they did not have the required technology to carry it out. But by 2010, four years after the initial proposal was made, ISRO agreed to develop the technology.

It took time to convince the agency of the importance of studying the Sun from space because back then, this was “still a dream”. Around 100 years ago, if you would ask someone if it was possible to land a human on the Moon, they would laugh it off. Just like that, such a mission was also a dream.

Also read: ISRO prepares for responsible space missions, aims to go debris-free by 203

What is the significance of the mission?

There are seven payloads on Aditya-L1. I am happy to tell you that all are working very well. Aditya-L1 is a mini laboratory. It looks at the sun and its atmosphere from all angles and also takes some in-situ measurements. Till now, all solar missions in the world could go only to a certain point. They could not get close to the sun.

Now, why is our mission important? When solar flares happen, it causes coronal mass ejections (CMEs). A lot of high-energy particles are ejected out of the sun in a few minutes. When they travel to Earth, they damage the atmosphere, electrical grades, etc. So, it becomes important to predict when these CMEs will reach the Earth’s ionosphere. The initial CMEs are very important in predicting the actual time of arrival.

Secondly, we still don’t know how coronal plasma gets heated. Since our observations are throughout the day, we will now be able to find answers to how this happens. When we find these answers, we will be able to solve many electricity-related problems on Earth.

When we gain knowledge, science develops, technology develops, the industry develops, and overall the nation develops.

What kind of data are you getting from Aditya-L1?

For the first three-four months after Aditya-L1 reached Lagrange Point-1, ISRO was checking and confirming the health of the payloads. Then, we spent some time solving minor issues. There were issues with the VELC’s optical access.

We are now taking pictures of the outer atmosphere of the corona, whereas SUIT (Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope) is taking DISC images. We are getting different kinds of data. We have data for about three-four months which we are analysing. We will soon have an analysis on the dynamics of CMEs and will be able to tell you how it develops.

(Edited by Tikli Basu)

Also read: ‘We are scientists, not beggars’. Indian Science Congress is in a war against govt

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Voronezh Oblast, Russia

The capital city of Voronezh oblast: Voronezh .

Voronezh Oblast - Overview

Voronezh Oblast is a federal subject of Russia, part of the Central Federal District. Voronezh is the capital city of the region.

The population of Voronezh Oblast is about 2,288,000 (2022), the area - 52,216 sq. km.

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Voronezh oblast latest news and posts from our blog:.

9 September, 2015 / Kalacheevskaya Cave - the longest cave in Voronezh region .

10 May, 2010 / Voronezh oblast palace of the princess photos .

History of Voronezh Oblast

The first people began to settle in the territory of the present Voronezh region in the Paleolithic age, about 30 thousand years ago. In the Iron Age, this region became part of Scythia. Then the Sarmatians came to replace the Scythians. It is assumed that they gave the name to the Don River.

In the early Middle Ages, the Alans, the descendants of the Sarmatians, moved on to a settled way of life, mastered the skills of urban culture and entered into a complex symbiosis with nomads (the Bulgars and the Khazars). In the 7th century, the steppe part of the region became the territory of the Khazar Kaganate.

In the 9th-10th centuries, the Slavs began to settle in the north of the region. Central and southern areas were controlled by nomadic tribes. In the first half of the 13th century, during the Mongol invasion, the ancient Russian settlements were destroyed, and Voronezh land for several centuries turned into a so-called “wild field” crossed by the main Tatar roads - Nogai and Kalmius roads.

In the 15th century, several districts up to the Khopyor River, the Vorona River and the mouth of the Voronezh River were part of the Ryazan principality, but the Russian settlements here were few in number. Between the Russian territory and the Tatar nomads lay a vast, devastated by nomadic raids, neutral buffer land.

More historical facts…

In 1521, the Ryazan principality became part of the Moscow state, which opened the way for the beginning of the Russian colonization of these territories. The Cossacks began to form from the Christian population of the region that assimilated certain elements of the culture of nomads.

In 1585, in place of the Cossack village, Voronezh was founded as a fortress of the Moscow state on the border of the Wild Field. For more than 50 years Voronezh was the only town on the territory of the present Voronezh region. Up to the 17th century, the Tatar raids on the Voronezh land continued.

In 1696, by decision and with the personal participation of Peter I, a shipyard was built on Voronezh land for the construction of the first Russian fleet - the foothold for the development of the Black Sea region. From here the Azov campaigns of Peter I began. The centers of Russian colonization in the east of the region were the towns of Borisoglebsk (1698) and Novokhopersk (1716).

In 1711, (after the loss of Azov), Voronezh became a provincial town, the administrative center of the Azov gubernia (province). In the 18th century, the development of the entire territory of the region began. In 1725, the province received the name of Voronezh.

Voronezh Governorate became one of the main bread baskets of the Russian Empire. In the 1860-1870s, railways passed through the territory of the region and connected Central Russia with South Ukraine, the North Caucasus and the Trans-Volga. The region’s economy remained largely agrarian.

In 1934, Voronezh Oblast was established. In 1937, Tambov Oblast was singled out of the Voronezh region. During the Second World War, it became the scene of fierce battles. The city of Voronezh was almost completely destroyed. In 1954, large western and northern territories were transferred to Belgorod and Lipetsk oblasts. In 1957, the boundaries of Voronezh Oblast took the current form.

In the mid-1960s, the Novovoronezh nuclear power plant was built, the Stavropol-Moscow gas pipeline passed through the territory of the region. Voronezh became a major center of the country’s military-industrial complex. In 1972, the Voronezh reservoir was created.

Nature of Voronezh Oblast

Birches in the middle of the field in the Voronezh region

Author: Stepygin Evgeny

Golden autumn in Voronezh Oblast

Author: Constantin Silkin

Cows in the Voronezh region

Author: Galina Linn

Voronezh Oblast - Features

Voronezh Oblast is located in the south-west of the European part of Russia. The length of the region from north to south is 277.5 km, from west to east - 352 km. In the south it borders on the Lugansk region of Ukraine.

The climate is moderately continental. The average temperature in January is minus 10 degrees Celsius, in July - plus 20 degrees Celsius.

The largest cities and towns of Voronezh Oblast are Voronezh (1,048,700), Rossosh (61,800), Borisoglebsk (57,200), Liski (52,000).

The most important resource of Voronezh Oblast is its fertile black soil rich in humus (chernozem), which occupy most of the territory. The largest rivers are the Don, Voronezh, Khopyor, Bityug.

Voronezh Oblast has rich deposits of non-metallic raw materials, mainly building materials (sands, clays, chalk, granites, cement raw materials, ocher, limestone, sandstone). Also there are deposits of phosphorites, nickel, copper, and platinum.

The local economy is an industrial-agrarian one. The main industries are mechanical engineering, electric power industry, chemical industry, and processing of agricultural products. This region is a major supplier of agricultural products: wheat, sugar beet, sunflower, potatoes, and vegetables. There is a nuclear power plant on the territory of Voronezh oblast - Novovoronezh Nuclear Power Plant.

Two federal highways pass through the territory of the Voronezh region: E 115 - M4 “Moscow-Novorossiysk” and E 119 - M6 “Moscow-Astrakhan”.

Attractions of Voronezh Oblast

Voronezh Oblast has a significant recreational and tourist potential. There are 7 historical towns in the region (Bobrov, Boguchar, Borisoglebsk, Voronezh, Novokhopersk, Ostrogozhsk, Pavlovsk), about 2,700 historical and cultural monuments, 20 museums and 3 reserves.

Pine forests and oak groves in the valley of the Voronezh River are known for their favorable effect on human health. There are a lot of summer and winter tourist bases and sanatoriums.

The main sights of the Voronezh region:

• Natural Architectural-Archaeological Museum-Reserve Divnogorye in Liskinsky district - one of the most popular and recognizable sights of the Voronezh region. One of the main attractions is a church built by monks inside a chalk cliff;
• Archeological Museum-Reserve “Kostyonki” in the village of Kostyonki in the Khokholsky district;
• Museum-Estate of D. V. Venevitinov in the village of Novozhivotinoye in Ramonsky district - a complex of residential and park buildings that belonged to the old Russian noble family in the second half of the 17th - early 20th centuries;
• Castle of the Princess of Oldenburg in Ramon - a picturesque manor house built in the style of brick neo-Gothic in the late 19th century;
• Voronezh Biosphere Reserve with the world’s only experimental beaver cattery;
• “Village of the 17th-19th centuries” - a museum in the open air in the town of Ertil;
• Khrenovskaya and Chesma stud farms;
• Museums and memorial places in Voronezh.

Voronezh oblast of Russia photos

Churches in the voronezh region.

Country life in Voronezh Oblast

Church in the Voronezh region

Author: Lantsov Dmitriy

Orthodox cathedral in Voronezh Oblast

Author: Feliks Radev

Voronezh Oblast scenery

Lonely locomotive in the Voronezh region

Author: Gribanov D.

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Voronezh Oblast is in Russia 's Chernozemye region, bordering Ukraine to the southwest, Belgorod Oblast to the west, Kursk Oblast to the northwest, Lipetsk Oblast to the north, Tambov Oblast to the northeast, Ulyanovsk Oblast to the northeast, Volgograd Oblast to the east, and Rostov Oblast to the south.

• 51.671667 39.210556 1 Voronezh — the regional capital is a major cultural, economic, and transit hub for the surrounding regions and a center of the contemporary Russian Communist movement (due to very high unemployment); be sure to visit the excellent collection of Western and Russian art at the Kramskoy Museum; the city is also the birthplace of many famous Russians, including writers Ivan Bunin and Andrei Platonov (the poet Osip Mandelshtam was exiled here also), as well as the great Russian painter Ivan Kramskoi

Other destinations

Voronezh is considered the heart of the "Black Earth Region," a rich soiled region in the south of Central Russia . In its post-Soviet history it has also come to be known as the heart of Russia's "Red Belt," the center of contemporary Russian communism, owing to its high unemployment levels. An interesting read for visitors is Black Earth City , an account written by Charlotte Hobson, a foreign student visiting the capital in 1991 – 92.

Chances are high that you will need either some knowledge of Russian or a competent guide in order to travel outside of Voronezh.

Voronezh Airport ( VOZ   IATA ) is served by flights from Moscow , Saint Petersburg , Munich , Prague , and Yerevan . Voronezh, being the major rail hub between Central and Southern Russia , is also easily accessible by train from, Moscow , Rostov-on-Don and other major cities in these regions.

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