Aditya-L1 Mission

September 2, 2023

GS Paper III Science and Technology

Context:

Recently, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched Aditya L-1, its first space-based mission to study the Sun, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.

About Aditya-L1 Mission:

Aditya-L1 is the first Indian space mission to observe the Sun and the solar corona.
It will be placed in a halo orbit around the first Lagrange point, L1, of the Sun-Earth system which allows it to look at the Sun continuously.

2.4 Image Credit: The Indian Express

It contains seven payloads namely:
- The Visible Emission Line Coronagraph (VELC) will study the Corona, imaging and spectroscopy, and Coronal mass ejections.
- The Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (SUIT) will focus upon the Photosphere and Chromosphere imaging- narrow and broadband. It will also measure the solar irradiance variations. t
- The Solar Low Energy X-ray Spectrometer (SoLEXS) and High Energy L1 Orbiting X-ray Spectrometer (HEL1OS) will study the soft and hard X-ray flares form the Sun over a wide X-ray energy range.
- The Aditya Solar wind Particle Experiment (ASPEX) and Plasma Analyser Package For Aditya (PAPA) will analyze the electrons and protons in the Solar wind or particles. It will also study the energetic ions.
- The Advanced Tri-axial High Resolution Digital Magnetometers will study the interplanetary magnetic field at L1 point.
It will provide greater advantage of observing the solar activities and its effect on space weather.

What is Space Weather?

Space weather refers to changing environmental conditions in space. It is mainly influenced by activity on the Sun’s surface.
In other words, the solar wind, magnetic field, as well as solar events like CME affect the nature of space.

Objectives of the Mission:

The mission will focus on study of the Solar upper atmospheric (chromosphere and corona) dynamics.
It will also study the chromospheric and coronal heating, physics of the partially ionized plasma, initiation of the coronal mass ejections, and flares.
The mission will observe the particle and plasma environment which will be providing the data for the study of particle dynamics from the Sun.
The mission will also focus on understanding the physics of solar corona and its heating mechanism.
It will dive deeper into the temperature, velocity and density of coronal and coronal loops plasma.
It will also research the development, dynamics and origin of CMEs.

Sun’s Corona:

The corona is the outermost layer of the Sun.
The corona’s high temperature causes its particles to move at very high speeds.
- These speeds are so high that the particles can escape the Sun’s gravity.
The corona is usually hidden by the bright light of the Sun’s surface. However, the corona can be seen during a total solar eclipse.
The corona is very dim as it is about 10 million times less dense than the Sun’s surface. This low density makes the corona much less bright than the surface of the Sun.
The corona extends far out into space. From it comes the solar wind that travels through our solar system.

Additional Information:

About Lagrange Points:

They have been named after Italian-French mathematician Joseph-Louis Lagrange (1736-1813), who was the first one to find the positions.
There are five Lagrange points, L1 to L5, between any two-celestial body system.
At these positions, the gravitational pull of the celestial bodies equals the centripetal force required to keep a smaller third body in orbit.
- In simpler words, the forces acting on the third body cancel each other out.
The L1 point of the Earth-Sun system provides an uninterrupted view of the sun and is currently home to the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory Satellite SOHO from NASA.
The points can be used as ‘parking spots’ for spacecraft in space to remain in a fixed position with minimal fuel consumption, according to NASA.