India’s space Agency, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), has announced plans to Launch its first space observatory for Solar research in September. Named Aditya-L1, the spacecraft will study the sun’s atmosphere and solar winds, which can cause disturbances on Earth and are known as “auroras”. The mission aims to provide valuable data that could help better understand the sun’s impact on Earth’s climate patterns.

The Aditya-L1 spacecraft will travel approximately 1.5 million km over a four-month period using India’s heavy-duty launch vehicle, the PSLV. It will reach a Lagrange Point in space, where gravitational forces allow objects to remain relatively stationary, minimizing fuel consumption for the spacecraft. Lagrange Points are named after Italian-French mathematician Joseph-Louis Lagrange.

The Aditya-L1 mission was sanctioned by the Indian government in 2019 with a budget of around $46 million. However, the official cost of the mission has not been disclosed by ISRO. The Indian space agency has gained a reputation for cost competitiveness in space engineering, expected to benefit India’s now-privatised space industry.

The success of India’s recent moon landing mission, Chandrayaan-3, has further fueled ambitions for space exploration. With the upcoming launch of the Aditya-L1 solar observatory, ISRO continues to expand its capabilities in the field of space research.

Sources:
– Reuters

Definitions:
– Solar winds: Streams of charged particles emitted by the sun that can cause disturbances in space and on Earth.
– Lagrange Points: Positions in space where gravitational forces balance, allowing objects to remain relatively stationary.

image source: CESSI / IISER-Kolkata, ISRO

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