Aditya L1 Mission
ISRO's new mission is Aditya L1, which will be launched on 2 sep 2023 after the success of Chandrayan 3 mission.
In this mission spacecraft will study the sun and the objective of this mission is to get a deeper understanding of the sun, and how its radiation, heat, flow of particles, and magnetic fields affects us. The payloads on the mission will study the upper atmospheric layers of the Sun called chromosphere and corona. It will study the expulsion of plasma and magnetic fields called coronal mass ejection (CME). The magnetic field of the corona and the drivers of the space weather will also be studied.
This spacecraft will travel around 1.5 million km and enter into Lagrange 1 (L1) point. This distance is just 1% of the distance between sun and the earth.
There are 5 Lagrange point between two celestial body and these are those points which work like a parking spot for spacecrafts in the space.In this mission ISRO'S spacecraft will gather data for 5 years.
Here are some important facts about the mission:
1. Goal: ISRO created Aditya-L1 to explore the Sun's outer atmosphere, which has the corona. It also aims to look into solar events like flares coronal mass ejections, and how they change Earth's magnetosphere.
2. Spacecraft: The mission uses a satellite that carries different scientific tools. These instruments will gather data on the solar corona solar wind, and other solar activities.
3. Orbit: Aditya-L1 will occupy a halo orbit around the Lagrange point L1, which sits about 1.5 million kilometers from Earth. This spot gives scientists the chance to watch the Sun non-stop without Earth getting in the way.
4. Launch: The mission took off on September 2, 2023 riding a PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle) rocket.
5. Instruments: The satellite carries several tools to study different aspects of solar events, including cameras and spectrometers.
As of August 2024, the Aditya-L1 mission has been up and running for almost a year. Here's what's new:
1. Operational Status: The Aditya-L1 spacecraft orbits around the Lagrange point L1 without a hitch keeping a constant eye on the Sun.
2. Scientific Observations: The spacecraft's tools have been busy gathering info on different solar events such as solar flares coronal mass ejections, and the solar corona. The first findings from these observations should give us fresh knowledge about how the Sun works and affects space weather.
3. Data Transmission: The first batch of data from Aditya-L1 has made its way back to Earth, and scientists are now looking into it. This info is expected to help us understand solar activities better and how they shape space weather.
4. Mission Milestones: The mission has reached several important targets during its active phase. These include getting its tools to work and finishing its first rounds of watching space.
