Aditya-L1 apacecraft successfully separates from PSLV rocket, announces ISRO

SRIHARIKOTA: The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) on Saturday said that the payload covering the Aditya-L1 spacecraft has been separated as it left Earth’s atmosphere following its successful launch from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.

“The third stage of the separation of PSLV carrying the Aditya-L1 orbiter has been completed”, as per ISRO. The launch of Aditya-L1 by PSLV-C57 is accomplished successfully, it said.

#WATCH | On the successful launch of Aditya L-1, ISRO Chairman S Somanath says, "The Aditya L1 spacecraft has been injected in an elliptical orbit…which is intended very precisely by the PSLV. I want to congratulate the PSLV for such a different mission approach today to put… pic.twitter.com/ZGT8vGt9EI

— ANI (@ANI) September 2, 2023

The vehicle has placed the satellite precisely into its intended orbit. India’s first solar observatory has begun its journey to the destination of Sun-Earth L1 point, the agency said.

The PSLV-C57.1 rocket, carrying the Aditya-L1 orbiter, lifted off successfully from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh at 11.50 am today.

#WATCH | Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Dr Jitendra Singh on the successful launch of the Aditya L1 mission says, "While the whole world watched this with bated breath, It is indeed a sunshine moment for India. Indian scientists had been working, toiling day… pic.twitter.com/muFMZ7Suxw

— ANI (@ANI) September 2, 2023

The successful launch of Isro’s maiden solar mission came on the heels of the historic lunar landing mission — Chandrayaan-3. The space agency successfully placed a lander on the unexplored lunar south pole, a feat that put India in the record books as the first country to do so.

The Aditya-L1 mission is expected to reach the observation point in four months. It will be placed in a halo orbit around Lagrangian Point 1 (or L1), which is 1.5 million km away from the Earth in the direction of the Sun.

It is carrying seven different payloads to have a detailed study of the Sun, four of which will observe the light from the Sun and the other three will measure in-situ parameters of the plasma and magnetic fields.

#WATCH | On the successful launch of Aditya L-1, Project Director of Aditya L-1, Nigar Shaji says, "This is like a dream come true. I am extremely happy that Aditya L-1 has been injected by PSLV. Aditya L-1 has started its 125 days of long journey. Once Aditya L-1 is… pic.twitter.com/zs1avDJ9ba

— ANI (@ANI) September 2, 2023

The largest and technically most challenging payload on Aditya-L1 is the Visible Emission Line Coronagraph or VELC.VELC was integrated, tested and calibrated at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics’ CREST (Centre for Research and Education in Science Technology) campus at Hoskote in collaboration with Isro.

This strategic location will enable Aditya-L1 to continuously observe the Sun without being hindered by eclipses or occultation, allowing scientists to study solar activities and their impact on space weather in real time.

Also, the spacecraft’s data will help identify the sequence of processes that lead to solar eruptive events and contribute to a deeper understanding of space weather drivers.

Major objectives of India’s solar mission include the study of the physics of solar corona and its heating mechanism, the solar wind acceleration, coupling and dynamics of the solar atmosphere, solar wind distribution and temperature anisotropy, and origin of Coronal Mass Ejections (CME) and flares and near-earth space weather.

According to the Bengaluru-based Indian Institute of Astrophysics, the atmosphere of the Sun, the corona, is what is seen during a total solar eclipse. A coronagraph like the VELC is an instrument that cuts out the light from the disk of the sun, and can thus image the much fainter corona at all times. (ANI)