Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is preparing for the launch of the country's first solar mission, Aditya-L1. The mission is aimed at getting remote observations of the solar corona and observations of the solar wind at L1 (Sun-Earth Lagrangian point). The launch of the mission is scheduled today at 11:59 am from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre's second launch pad in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. Here are all the details of the Aditya-L1 Mission you need to know.
The mission has been named after the Sun as Aditya is a Sanskrit that refers to the Sun. The satellite will be positioned in a halo orbit around the Sun-Earth system's Lagrange point 1, or L1, which is 1.5 million kilometers from the Earth (or around 1% of the distance between the Earth and the Sun). During its operation, AdityaL1 will investigate the Sun's outer atmosphere. Aditya-L1 won't touch down on the Sun or get any closer to it. The spacecraft will be pointed in the direction of the Sun.
Also read: LIVE | ISRO's Aditya-L1 Solar Mission Launch: Solar Observatory To Travel 1.5 Mn Kilometers
Indian citizens can watch the Aditya-L1 Mission's live telecast on ISRO's YouTube channel and the Doordarshan channel. On September 1, ISRO also distributed the URL for the live stream of the Aditya-L1 Mission. Today's Aditya L1 launch is scheduled at 11:50 a.m. (IST).
PSLV-C57/Aditya-L1 Mission:
— ISRO (@isro) September 1, 2023
The 23-hour 40-minute countdown leading to the launch at 11:50 Hrs. IST on September 2, 2023, has commended today at 12:10 Hrs.
The launch can be watched LIVE
on ISRO Website https://t.co/osrHMk7MZL
Facebook https://t.co/zugXQAYy1y
YouTube…
As part of PSLV-C57, the 59th flight of PSLV, and the 25th mission to use the PSLV-XL configuration, the Aditya L1 satellite will be launched into orbit. Aditya-L1 stays in Earth-bound orbit for 16 days after its scheduled launch on September 2, 2023, during which time it performs 5 maneuvers to obtain the necessary velocity for its journey. After it reaches the L1 point, it will perform another manoeuvre to get the satellite into around L1.
The main benefit belongs to a satellite that is positioned in the halo orbit around the L1 point. The satellite will be positioned so that it faces the Sun and will be able to see the Sun continually without any occultation or eclipses. This will provide us the opportunity to observe the solar activity and how it affects the space weather in real time