Following the successful moon landing mission, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is now on the verge of launching a solar mission on September 2.
This future mission, known as Aditya-L1, is designed to investigate the Sun and would be India's first dedicated space mission for solar observations, coordinated by the Bengaluru-based space agency.
The Aditya-L1 spacecraft has been methodically designed to allow for remote investigations of the solar corona as well as on-site measurements of the solar wind at the Sun-Earth Lagrangian point L1, which is approximately 1.5 million kilometres distant from Earth.
Aditya-L1 is a great effort of indigenous scientific capability that incorporates contributions from multiple national institutes.
In terms of specifics, Aditya-L1 is designed to transport seven separate payloads that span many wavebands.
These payloads allow for observations of several solar layers, including the photosphere, chromosphere, and outermost corona.
The solar mission has drawn on the expertise of important players such as the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) in Bengaluru, which is leading the development of the Visible Emission Line Coronagraph payload.
The Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics in Pune has also created the Solar Ultraviolet Imager payload.
The importance of this mission is highlighted by its ability to deliver real-time insights on solar activity and space weather by taking advantage of its unique vantage point at the L1.
In contrast to previous orbits, the halo orbit around L1 allows for uninterrupted sun observations with no interruptions from eclipses or occultation.
The scientific goals of Aditya-L1 include a thorough investigation of solar phenomena ranging from the dynamics of the highest atmospheric layers (chromosphere and corona) to the propagation of particle and field dynamics across the interplanetary medium.
The mission will also look at the physics of coronal heating, the commencement of coronal mass ejections, and solar flares.
The mission's sensor suite has been precisely designed to investigate certain components of the solar atmosphere, specifically the chromosphere and corona.
The use of in-situ devices will allow for the collection of localized data at the L1 point.