Aditya-L1: ISRO’s Solar Mission at the L1 Point
Why in the news
Aditya-L1 is in its Science Phase, and ISRO has opened a second Announcement of Opportunity for Indian scientists to seek observation time on its instruments.
Key facts
- Agency: ISRO; target: the Sun’s atmosphere, magnetic storms and their effect on Earth’s environment.
- Position: Lagrange Point 1 (L1), a gravitationally balanced spot about 1.5 million km from Earth.
- Seven indigenous instruments are carried.
Why L1
- No eclipses by Earth or Moon, so the Sun can be watched round the clock.
- Balanced gravity lets the craft hover using very little fuel.
Science goals
- Coronal heating: why the corona is millions of degrees while the photosphere is only about 6,000°C.
- Space weather: coronal mass ejections and flares that can disturb satellites, GPS and power grids.
- Solar wind: where its charged particles come from and how they speed up.
Payloads
| Type | Instrument | Job |
|---|---|---|
| Remote sensing | VELC | Studies corona and CMEs |
| Remote sensing | SUIT | Near-UV images of photosphere and chromosphere |
| Remote sensing | SoLEXS and HEL1OS | X-ray spectrometers for flares |
| In-situ | ASPEX and PAPA | Analyse solar wind particles |
| In-situ | MAG | Measures magnetic field at L1 |
Exam angle
- Payload to remember for corona study: VELC (Visible Emission Line Coronagraph).
- Number of payloads: seven; location: L1.
- Current stage: Science Phase, data shared globally for space weather forecasting.