Aditya-L1 (/ɑːd̪it̪jə/) is a coronagraphy spacecraft to study the solar atmosphere, designed and developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and various other Indian research institutes.
It will be orbiting at about 1.5 million km from Earth in a halo orbit around the L1 Lagrange point between the Earth and the Sun where it will study the solar atmosphere, solar magnetic storms, and their impact on the environment around the Earth.
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About Adhitya L1
It is the first Indian mission dedicated to observing the Sun. Nigar Shaji is the project's director. Aditya-L1 was launched aboard the PSLV C57 at 11:50 IST on 2 September 2023,ten days after the successful landing of ISRO's Moon mission, Chandrayaan-3. �
It successfully achieved its intended orbit nearly an hour later, and separated from its fourth stage at 12:57 IST. It is projected to reach its designated orbit at the L1 point approximately 127 days after its launch.
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Science objectives
The main objectives of Aditya L1 are:
To observe the dynamics of the Sun's chromosphere and corona:
To study chromospheric and coronal heating, the physics of partially ionised plasma, of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and their origins, of the coronal magnetic field and heat transfer mechanisms, and flare exchanges
To observe of the physical particle environment around its position
To determine the sequence of processes in multiple layers below the corona that lead to solar eruptions
To study space weather, and the origin, composition and dynamics of solar wind
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History
Aditya was conceptualised in January 2008 by the Advisory Committee for Space Sciences (ADCOS). It was initially envisaged as a small 400 kg (880 lb) satellite in a Low Earth Orbit (800 km) with a coronagraph to study the solar corona.
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History
An experimental budget of ₹3 crore was allocated for the financial year 2016–2017. The scope of the mission has since been expanded and it became a comprehensive solar and space environment observatory to be placed at Lagrange point L1, hence the mission was renamed "Aditya-L1". As of July 2019, the mission has an allocated cost of ₹378 crores excluding launch costs.
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Overview part 1
Lagrange points in the Sun–Earth system (not to scale) – a small object at any one of the five points will hold its relative position.
The Aditya-L1 mission will take around 109 Earth days after launch to reach the halo orbit around the L1 point, which is about 1,500,000 km (930,000 mi) from Earth. The spacecraft is planned to remain in the halo orbit for its mission duration while being maintained at a stationkeeping Δv of 0.2–4 m/s per year. The 1,500 kg (3,300 lb) satellite carries seven science payloads with various objectives, including instruments to measure coronal heating, solar wind acceleration, coronal magnetometry, origin and monitoring of near-UV solar radiation (which drives Earth's upper atmospheric dynamics and global climate), coupling of the solar photosphere to the chromosphere and corona, and in-situ characterisations of the space environment around Earth by measuring energetic particle fluxes and magnetic fields of the solar wind, and solar magnetic storms.
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Overview part 2
Aditya-L1 will provide observations of the sun's photosphere, chromosphere and corona. Its scientific payloads must be placed outside the interference from the Earth's magnetic field and hence could not have been useful in the low Earth orbit as proposed in the original Aditya mission concept.
One of the major unsolved problems in the field of solar physics is coronal heating. The upper atmosphere of the Sun has a temperature of 1,000,000 K (1,000,000 °C; 1,800,000 °F) whereas the lower atmosphere is just 6,000 K (5,730 °C; 10,340 °F). In addition, it is not understood exactly how the Sun's radiation affects the dynamics of the Earth's atmosphere on a shorter as well as a longer time scale. The mission will obtain near-simultaneous images of the different layers of the Sun's atmosphere, which will reveal the ways in which energy is channeled and transferred from one layer to another. Thus, the Aditya-L1 mission will enable a comprehensive understanding of the dynamical processes of the Sun and address some of the outstanding problems in solar physics and heliophysics.
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Reference part 1
from Sanskrit Āditya, a synonym for the Hindu solar deity Surya
^ Jump up to:a b c d Somasundaram, Seetha; Megala, S. (25 August 2017). "Aditya-L1 mission" (PDF). Current Science. 113 (4): 610. Bibcode:2017CSci..113..610S. doi:10.18520/cs/v113/i04/610-612. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 August 2017. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
^ Nowakowski, Tomas (4 February 2016). "India's first solar mission to be launched in 2019–20". Space Flight Insider. Archived from the original on 3 September 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
^ International Space Conference and Exhibition – DAY 3 (video). Confederation of Indian Industry. 15 September 2021. Event occurs at 2:07:36–2:08:38. Retrieved 18 September 2021 – via YouTube.
^ Jump up to:a b "Moon mission done, ISRO aims for the Sun with Aditya-L1 launch on September 2". The Indian Express. 28 August 2023. Archived from the original on 28 August 2023. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
^ Jump up to:a b c d Pandey, Geeta (2 September 2023). "Aditya-L1: India launches its first mission to Sun". BBC News. Archived from the original on 2 September 2023. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
^ Sreekumar, P. (19 June 2019). "Indian Space Science & Exploration : Global Perspective" (PDF). UNOOSA. p. 8. Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 June 2019. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
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Reference part 2
^ "Aditya L1 Mission: Aditya L1 Launch LIVE Updates: Aditya L1 spacecraft successfully separated from PSLV rocket, now en route to Sun-Earth L1 point. ISRO says mission accomplished". The Economic Times. 2 September 2023. Archived from the original on 3 September 2023. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
^ Jump up to:a b "PSLV-C57/ADITYA-L1 Mission". www.isro.gov.in. Archived from the original on 3 September 2023. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
^ "ADITYA-L1". www.isro.gov.in. Archived from the original on 3 August 2023. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
^ "SAC Industry Portal". www.sac.gov.in. Space Applications Center, Government of India. Archived from the original on 3 August 2022. Retrieved 3 September 2023.