After the successful landing of Chandrayaan-3, ISRO is determined and ready for its next solar exploration mission. With the launch of Aditya L-1 on September 2, 2023, ISRO will mark another triumphant chapter in its history.
India will not be the first to explore the Sun. Many missions have been launched to detect solar activity. Here is a list of solar missions that have been conducted since 2000:
Name of the mission | Launch year |
SOHO | in 1995 |
STEREO | in 2006 |
Hinode (Solar-B) | in 2006 |
SDO | 2010 |
IRIS | in 2013 |
Solar Orbiter | in 2020 |
Parker solar probe | 2018 |
SOHO (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory) is a joint mission of the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA. It was put into circulation in December 1995 and is still working today
NASA mentions: “SOHO is an international project of cooperation between ESA and NASA. NASA contributed three instruments and launch services. ESA is leading the mission.”
The main goal of SOHO is to study the interior of the Sun, the outer atmosphere and the solar wind. Many important discoveries have been made, including the discovery of the solar cycle, the study of coronal holes, and the observation of solar flares and coronal mass ejections.
Source: NASA
STEREO (Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory) is a NASA mission that was launched in October 2006. STEREO consists of two spacecraft, STEREO-A and STEREO-B, which are placed in front and behind Earth in orbit around the Sun.
NASA mentions: “Launched in October 2006, the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory, or STEREO, has provided scientists with a unique and revolutionary view of the Sun-Earth system. Composed of two nearly identical observatories — one in front of Earth in its orbit, the other behind it — STEREO traced the flow of energy and matter from the Sun to Earth.”
STEREO’s main goal is to study solar phenomena, including coronal mass ejections, by providing stereoscopic observations of the Sun.
The space agency lost contact with STEREO-B on October 1, 2004, however, STEREO-A continues to operate properly.
Hinode (Solar-B) is a Japanese mission that was launched in September 2006. This was a follow-up mission after Japan’s YOHKOH (Solar-A) mission in 1991. The mission is led by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
The European Space Agency states: “Hinode is the follow-up to Japan’s successful YOHKOH (Solar-A) mission, which was launched in August 1991 in an international effort involving Japan, the United States and the United Kingdom. His X-ray images of the Sun helped redraw the general perception of our daytime star.”
Hinode’s main goal is to study the Sun’s magnetic field and its influence on the Sun’s atmosphere.
Hinode made many important discoveries, including observing the Sun’s magnetic dynamo and studying the interaction between the Sun’s magnetic field and the solar wind.
Source: European Space Agency
SDO (Solar Dynamics Observatory) is a NASA mission launched in February 2010. SDO’s main goal is to observe the Sun at different wavelengths to understand its magnetic field, solar activity and influence on space weather.
SDO has made many important discoveries, including observing the Sun’s magnetic cycles and studying solar flares and coronal mass ejections.
NASA mentions: “SDO studies how solar activity occurs and affects space weather. Measurements of the Sun’s interior, atmosphere, magnetic field and energy output by the spacecraft help us understand the star we live with.”
Source: NASA Scientific Visualization Studio
IRIS (Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph) is a NASA mission that was launched in June 2013. The main goal of IRIS is to study how solar materials harvest energy.
NASA states: “The Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph observes how solar material moves, gathers energy and heats up as it travels through a poorly understood region in the Sun’s lower atmosphere. IRIS is a key part of NASA’s solar observing fleet — it tracks how material and energy move through this region to help us understand the dynamics of our star.”
IRIS has made many important discoveries, including observing the Sun’s spicules and studying the interaction between the Sun’s atmosphere and the solar wind.
Source: NASA
Solar Orbiter is a joint mission of ESA and NASA that was launched in February 2020. The main goal of Solar Orbiter is to study the polar regions of the Sun and the solar wind in order to understand the Sun-Earth connection.
The European Space Agency states: “The Solar Orbiter is the most complex scientific laboratory ever sent to the Sun. Although our life-giving star has been the subject of scientific interest for centuries, its behavior still presents a puzzle to scientists. Solar Orbiter will capture images of the Sun from closer than any spacecraft before and will look for the first time at its unexplored polar regions.”
Solar Orbiter will fly closer to the Sun than any previous mission, providing unprecedented views of the Sun’s atmosphere and magnetic field.
Source: NASA Science
Parker Solar Probe is a NASA mission that was launched in August 2018. Parker Solar Probe’s main goal is to approach the Sun closer than any previous mission, studying its outer atmosphere and solar wind.
NASA states: “The Parker Solar Probe is on a mission to ‘touch the Sun’. The spacecraft is flying closer to the Sun’s surface than any spacecraft before it. The mission will revolutionize our understanding of the Sun.”
Parker Solar Probe will fly within 3.9 million miles (6.2 million kilometers) of the Sun, making it the first mission to do so.
Source: NASA
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education