India’s first solar mission, Aditya L1, aims to study the Sun and its effects on Earth and its atmosphere. According to ISRO, Aditya-L1 will not land on the Sun or come closer to it. The Aditya-L1 spacecraft will be about 1.5 million kilometers (930,000 miles) from Earth. We now know that the distance between the Sun and the Earth is about 150 million kilometers. This means that the distance between Aditya-L1 and the Sun will be about 148.5 million kilometers (925,000 miles), which is about 1% of the distance between the Sun and Earth.
The Aditya L1 spacecraft will carry a total of seven payloads to study the Sun’s corona, solar wind and other aspects of the Sun-Earth system. The payload will provide information on coronal heating, coronal mass ejections (CMEs), preflare and flare activity, space weather, and the movement of particles and fields through space between the Sun and Earth.
The primary payload of the Aditya L1 mission is the Visible Emission Coronagraph (VELC). It is a coronagraph, which will send 1440 images of the Sun. These are interesting facts about Aditya L1 spacecraft. Let’s also take a look at 10 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about India’s first solar mission.
Also Read: Which layer of the Sun will Aditya L1 study?
Aditya L1 Mission FAQ
P1. What is the mission of Aditya L1?
The Aditya L1 mission is the first solar observation spacecraft of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). They will learn to observe the photosphere, chromosphere and the outermost layers of the Sun (the corona) using electromagnetic and particle detectors.
Q2. When will the Aditya L1 mission be launched?
The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is scheduled to launch the Aditya L1 mission on September 2, 2023 at 11:50 IST on a PSLV-C57 rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota.
Q3. Is Aditya-L1 a satellite?
Yes, Aditya-L1 is a satellite. It is the first spacecraft to observe the Sun.
Q4. What is the orbit of Aditya-L1 mission?
Aditya L1 will be placed in a halo orbit around the Sun-Earth Lagrange Point 1 (L1). L1 is a gravitationally stable point located about 1.5 million kilometers (930,000 miles) from Earth on the Sun-Earth line.
P5. What are the scientific objectives of the Aditya L1 mission?
The Aditya-L1 mission aims to:
- Understanding coronal heating and solar wind acceleration.
- Understanding the triggering of coronal mass ejections (CMEs), flares, and near-Earth space weather.
- Understand the coupling and dynamics of the Sun’s atmosphere.
- Understand solar wind distribution and temperature anisotropy.
What is Aditya L1? Everything you need to know about India’s first solar mission
P6. What are the main instruments on the Aditya L1 spacecraft?
- Visible emission coronagraph (VELC)
- Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (SUIT)
- Low Energy Solar X-ray Spectrometer (SoLEXS)
- High Energy Orbital X-ray Spectrometer L1 (HEL1OS)
- Solar Wind Composition Spectrometer (SWICS)
- Electron Proton Alpha Solar Wind Monitor (SWEPAM)
- magnetometer (MAG)
P7. Who developed Aditya-L1 satellite?
The Aditya L1 satellite was developed by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) in collaboration with academic institutions.
P8. How long will the Aditya L1 mission last?
The Aditya L1 mission is expected to last for five years.
Q9. What is the price of Aditya-L1 in Indian Rupees?
The budget of the Aditya L1 mission is estimated to be around 500 crores (67 million US dollars).
P10. Who is Aditya-L1 Mission Chief?
The chief scientist for the Aditya L1 mission is Dr. Sankarasubramanian K. He is a senior solar scientist who has worked on other ISRO missions including Chandrayaan-1, Chandrayaan-2 and AstroSat.
Explanation: What is a solar flare?
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Source: HIS Education