Aditya L-1 mission accomplished: Satellite separates from launch vehicle

Aditya-L1 solar mission: India launched its first mission to the Sun this morning, just days after becoming the first country in history to achieve a soft landing on the Moon's south pole

India launched its first observation mission to the Sun on Saturday (September 2), just days after the country scripted history by becoming the first to land near the Moon's south pole. The satellite Aditya-L1, with seven payloads, was carried by PSLV C57 (polar satellite launch vehicle). It lifted off from Sriharikota at 11:50 am. After nearly an hour and several stages, the satellite separated from its launch vehicle and it will now commence its journey and mission to study the sun.

#WATCH | Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launches India's first solar mission, #AdityaL1 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.

Aditya L1 is carrying seven different payloads to have a detailed study of the Sun. pic.twitter.com/Eo5bzQi5SO

— ANI (@ANI) September 2, 2023

It will be located at a distance of 1.5 million kilometres from the Earth - 1 per cent of the Earth-Sun distance.

 

India's space agency, the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro), says it will take 125 days to travel the distance.

What is Aditya-L1 mission?

India's first space-based mission to study the solar system's biggest object is named after "Surya", the Hindu god of Sun known as Aditya.

And L1 stands for Lagrange point 1, the precise location between the Sun and the Earth where the Indian spacecraft will be positioned.

A Lagrange point, according to the European Space Agency, is a point where the gravitational influences of two big objects, such as the Sun and the Earth, cancel each other out, allowing a spacecraft to "hover."

Once Aditya-L1 reaches this "parking spot", it could orbit the Sun at the same rate as the Earth. This also means that the satellite will use relatively little fuel to function.

Isro says that once the spacecraft takes off, it will travel several times around the Earth before being launched towards L1.

From this vantage point, Aditya-L1 will be able to conduct scientific research, even when it's hidden, like during an eclipse.

Isro has not said how much the mission would cost, but reports put it at $46 million.

Adtiya L-1 trajectory

Why is the Aditya-L1 mission significant for India?

According to Isro, the orbiter will carry seven scientific instruments to study and observe the solar corona (the outermost layer), the photosphere (the Sun's surface or the part visible from Earth), and the chromosphere (a thin layer of plasma between the photosphere and the corona).

The research will aid scientists in understanding solar activity, such as solar wind and solar flares, and their real-time effects on Earth and near-space weather.

Mylswamy Annadurai, a former Isro scientist, told the BBC that the Sun constantly influences Earth's weather through radiation, heat, and the passage of particles and magnetic fields. At the same time, he claims, it has an effect on space weather.

"Space weather plays a role in how effectively the satellites function. Solar winds or storms can affect the electronics on satellites and even knock down power grids. But there are gaps in our knowledge of space weather," Annadurai said.

For more details, read: All you need to know about Aditya-L1, Isro's mission to study the Sun

India has more than 50 satellites in space, which provide numerous critical services to the country, including communication connectivity, weather data, and forecasting pest infestations, droughts, and imminent disasters. According to the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), approximately 10,290 satellites remain in Earth's orbit, with nearly 7,800 of them currently operational.

Annadurai says that Aditya will help us better comprehend and even warn us about the star on which our lives depend.

"Knowing the Sun's activities, such as solar wind or a solar eruption, a couple of days ahead will help us move our satellites out of harm's way. This will help our satellites last longer in space," he said.

He added that the expedition will help us better understand the Sun, the 4.5 billion-year-old star that holds our solar system together.

India scripts history once again

The successful launch of Aditya-L1, India's solar mission, comes only days after the country successfully landed the world's first probe near the lunar south pole.

With this, India became only the fourth country in the world to achieve a soft landing on the Moon, following the United States, the former Soviet Union, and China.

Talking about the Sun, India is now one of a small group of countries that are studying it.

Japan was the first to launch a mission to the Sun in 1981 to study solar flares, and the US space agency Nasa and the European Space Agency (ESA) have been monitoring the Sun since the 1990s.

In February 2020, Nasa and ESA jointly launched a solar orbiter that is studying the Sun from close quarters and gathering data that, scientists say, will help understand what drives its dynamic behaviour.

And in 2021, Nasa's newest spacecraft, the Parker Solar Probe, made history by becoming the first to fly through the corona, the outer atmosphere of the Sun.

India's upcoming space missions

Gaganyaan

India's first crewed space mission ("Gagan" means sky in Hindi, and "yaan" is craft) intends to launch a crew of three into a 400-kilometre orbit for a three-day trip before landing in Indian waters.

The ISRO said that its Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre had successfully tested systems for stabilising the crew module and safely lowering its velocity during re-entry.

Jitendra Singh, the deputy minister for science and technology, stated earlier this year that $1.08 billion had been allotted for the Gaganyaan programme. Once Gaganyaan is done, the ISRO plans to focus on maintaining a human presence in space.

So far, no official launch date for the Gaganyaan mission has been announced.

NISAR (NASA-ISRO SAR) Satellite

NASA-ISRO SAR (NISAR) is a low-Earth orbit observatory system developed collaboratively by Nasa and Isro.

NISAR will map the entire planet every 12 days, providing data for understanding changes in ecosystems, ice mass, vegetation biomass, sea level rise, groundwater, and natural hazards such as earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes, and landslides.

The satellite, roughly the size of an SUV, is scheduled to launch from India in the first quarter of next year, with a target launch set for January.

X-RAY POLARIMETER SATELLITE (XPoSat)

India is also developing its first specialised polarimetry mission to study cosmic X-ray sources.

The mission is aimed at unfolding new frontiers in high-energy astrophysics and will allow in-depth investigations of neutron stars and black hole sources. The ISRO has not yet decided on a launch date for this mission.