What is Aditya L1 Mission?
Aditya L1 Mission - India's First Solar Mission
It is ISRO’s second space-based astronomy mission after AstroSat for a scientific expedition to study the Sun. The mission was initially named Aditya 1 which was limited to observing only the solar corona.
What is the Objective of Aditya L1 Mission?
About Aditya L1 Mission
Discussed below are important facts about the Aditya L1
Mission:
--It was launched using the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle
(PSLV) XL
--Unlike other missions lead by ISRO, Mission Aditya L1
comprises few moving components which may be a cause of collision in space
--Given below is a list of payloads which have been used for
the mission:
- Visible Emission Line Coronagraph (VELC)
- Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (SUIT)
- Aditya Solar wind Particle Experiment (ASPEX)
- Plasma Analyser Package for Aditya
- Solar Low Energy X-ray Spectrometer (SoLEXS)
- High Energy L1 Orbiting X-ray Spectrometer (HEL1OS)
- Magnetometer
-- The main objective of the Aditya L1 Mission is that it will help in tracking Earth-directed storms and predict its impact through solar observations.
Why did ISRO Rename Aditya 1 Mission as Aditya L1 Mission?
Aditya-1 mission was planned for observing only the Corona of Sun. The reason behind Corona getting heated to very high temperatures is still a mystery in Solar Physics. Aditya -1 mission involved placing the satellite in 800 Km low earth orbit. Later ISRO planned to place the satellite in the halo orbit around the Lagrangian Point (L1). L1 is 1.5 Million Km from the Earth. This point provides the advantage of observing the Sun continuously without any disturbance. Hence the mission was renamed as Aditya L1 mission.
Which is the Launch Vehicle that will be Used to Launch Aditya L1 Mission?
The satellite will be launched by PSLV-XL launch vehicle from Sriharikota.
Quick Facts about Aditya L1-
The important details about Aditya L1 are mentioned in brief in the table below:
|
When was the Aditya L1 mission originally announced? |
In 2008, ISRO announced it by the name Aditya-1 |
|
What is the significance of the Aditya L1 mission? |
It is India’s first solar mission aimed to study Sun’s Corona |
|
What is the Visible Emission Line Coronagraph (VELC)? |
It is an internally occluded solar coronagraph capable of simultaneous imaging, spectroscopy, and spectro-polarimetry close to the solar limb. |
|
Why was Aditya-1 mission changed to Aditya L1? |
Earlier, the mission aimed to be launched 800 km LEO however, realizing that Halo Orbit around L1 will be more advantageous to capture the sun’s corona, it was changed to be called Aditya L1 |
|
What is the weight of the Aditya L1 satellite? |
400 Kg |
|
What are the observations expected from Aditya L1? |
Observations on the following:
|
ISRO chairman S. Somanath, speaking at the handover ceremony
of the Visible Line Emission Coronagraph (VELC) payload on Thursday, said that
the Aditya-L1 mission will be launched by June or July as the launch window for
the mission would close by August.
The Aditya-L1 mission will be launched by ISRO to the L1
orbit (which is the first Lagrangian point of the Sun-Earth system). L1 orbit
allows Aditya-L1 to look at the Sun continuously.
In total Aditya-L1 has seven payloads, of which the primary payload is the Visible Emission Line Coronagraph (VELC), designed and fabricated by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bengaluru.
Importance of study
The other six payloads are being developed by the ISRO and
other scientific institutions. “Understanding the effect of the Sun on the
Earth and its surroundings has become very important now and Aditya-L1 aims to
shed light on this topic. It has taken 15 years for VELC from concept to
completion, and this period was needed for a complex system like this. The VELC
has been the finest collaboration between the IIA and the ISRO,” said Mr.
Somanath.
Following the handover of the VELC payload, the ISRO will
now conduct further testing of VELC and its eventual integration with the
Aditya-L1 spacecraft.
“This is the main instrument (VELC payload) on board the Aditya-L1 satellite. There are also other instruments which are developed by the ISRO and other institutions. Currently, we are getting ready with the satellite. The payload will be taken to the U.R. Rao Satellite Centre in Bengaluru, where we will integrate it with the Aditya-L1 satellite which will undergo a lot of testing, evaluation, and finally, it will be launched using the PSLV,” Mr. Somanath added.
Observing corona
Raghavendra Prasad, Principal Investigator, VELC payload,
said that the payload will be able to observe the corona continuously and the
data provided by it is expected to answer many outstanding problems in the
field of solar astronomy.
Aditya-L1 is the first Indian space mission to observe the
Sun and the solar corona
In total Aditya-L1 has seven payloads, of which the primary
payload is the Visible Emission Line Coronagraph (VELC), designed and
fabricated by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bengaluru.
