An overview of India’s new space launch
By: Korn, Year 9
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has once again captured the world's attention with its Aditya-L1 spacecraft mission, adding another chapter to its history of space exploration, becoming one of the most monumental moments in the country’s and the worlds space programs. Since September 19th, 2023, the historic spacecraft has begun its 110-day journey to the sun, with the entire mission planned to last 5.2 years. The ISRO, known for its successful moon landing mission Chandrayaan-2 and other significant achievements, has been on an upward trajectory in the world of space science, and the Aditya-L1 launch signifies as such.
India's first space-based mission to study the Solar System's biggest object is named after Surya - the Hindu god of Sun who is also known as Aditya, and L1 stands for Lagrange Point 1 - the exact place between the Sun and Earth where the Indian spacecraft is heading. The Aditya-L1 mission is set to investigate the Sun's “mysterious” outermost layer, the corona, offering insights and more research into solar activities and their impact on Earth's climate and communication systems. This spacecraft, equipped with cutting-edge instruments, holds the potential to unravel the secrets of the Sun, a celestial body critical to sustaining life on our planet.
Aditya-L1 has many instruments in its payloads specifically to help further our understanding of the solar system’s center. They include the Visible Emission Line coronagraph (VELC), a key instrument which allows for high spatial resolution imaging of the sun’s corona, a Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (SUIT) to study solar radiation in the ultraviolet range, a Solar Low Energy X-ray Spectrometer (SoLEXS), an X-ray spectrometer made to continuously measure and better understand the properties of the Sun’s corona, and many other payloads. built to withstand the extreme conditions of space near the Sun. The launch itself, conducted at India's Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, utilized the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), a tried-and-true workhorse of ISRO. With utmost precision, timing and execution, ISRO's scientists and engineers successfully propelled Aditya-L1 into its orbit around the Sun, marking a historic achievement in India's space exploration endeavors.
The Aditya-L1 mission is not just a scientific milestone; it has many practical applications. It promises to provide invaluable data for predicting solar storms and their impact on Earth, guarding our planet's infrastructure from solar winds and learning how to predict it.
The Sun poses a giant threat to astronauts. Shaking the Earth's magnetic field can also cause current surges in solar flares; a flow of gases from the Sun that streams past the Earth at speeds of more than 500 km per second (a million miles per hour). Disturbances in the solar wind shake the Earth's magnetic field and pump energy into the radiation belts. Regions on the surface of the Sun often, and give off ultraviolet light and x-rays that heat up the Earth's upper atmosphere. This "space weather" can change the orbits of satellites and shorten mission lifetimes. The excess radiation can physically damage satellites and power lines that destroy equipment and knock out power over large areas. As we become more dependent upon satellites in space, we will increasingly feel the effects of space weather .
The Sun also serves an important role in helping us to understand the rest of the astronomical universe. It is the only star close enough to us to reveal details about its surface. Without the Sun, we would not have easily guessed that other stars also have spots and hot outer atmospheres. The Sun is the key to understanding other stars. We know the Sun's age, radius, mass, and luminosity (brightness), and we have also learned detailed information about its interior and atmosphere. This information is crucial for our understanding of other stars and how they evolve. Many physical processes that occur elsewhere in the universe can be examined in detail on the Sun. In this way solar astronomy teaches us much about stars, planetary systems, galaxies, and the universe itself. Furthermore, the spacecraft will enhance our understanding of the Sun's magnetic fields, which is crucial in the solar cycle and space weather phenomena.
Looking forward, Aditya-L1 reaffirms India's commitment to pushing the boundaries of space exploration, with plans for future lunar missions, such as the Indian Space Station, planned to be set up by 2035, interplanetary exploration, and even the development of its own space station. This mission positions India as a prominent player in the global space arena, ready to make groundbreaking discoveries in solar science and beyond.
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