Onwards & Upwards: Understanding the Aditya-L1 Mission

After the successful landing of Chandrayaan 3, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is gearing up to launch the Aditya-L1 spacecraft on 2nd September 2023, at 11:50 a.m. from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre aboard a PSLV-XL rocket.

Aditya L1 is India’s first spacecraft being sent to observe the Sun. It will be injected into the halo orbit of Lagrange Point 1, which is approximately 1.5 million kilometres from Earth. The satellite will observe the chromosphere, photosphere and the corona of the Sun using seven payloads carried by the spacecraft.

Aditya L1 is expected to provide crucial information about coronal mass ejection, coronal heating, space weather dynamics, flare and pre-flare activities, and more. The scientific studies will provide insights into the propagatory effect of solar dynamics in the interplanetary medium.

Aditya L1 Mission Objectives

The Aditya L1 spacecraft has a few mission objectives that it will be expected to carry out near the Sun. The four major objectives are:

• To understand solar wind acceleration and coronal heating.
• To understand how flares, coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and new-earth space weather are initiated.
• Understanding the dynamics and coupling of the solar atmosphere.
• Understanding the temperature anisotropy and solar wind distribution.

These goals will be met by carrying out the following operations.

• Studying the chromosphere and corona to understand the upper atmosphere dynamics of the Sun.
• Understanding the physics of partially ionised plasma.
• Giving insights into the plasma and in-situ particle environment to understand the particle dynamics of the Sun.
• Origin, development and dynamics of Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) and flares.
• Understanding the chromospheric and coronal heating mechanism.
• Studying the sequence of multi-layered (chromosphere, base and extended corona) processes that lead to solar eruptive events.
•  Analysing the plasma of the corona and coronal loops for density, temperature, and velocity.
• Understanding the magnetic field topology and measurements of the solar corona.
• Learning the composition, origin, and dynamics of solar wind.

Why is the Aditya L1 Mission Special?

Aditya L1 is a highly significant mission for ISRO because it is India's first spacecraft to study the Sun. Moreover, it is unique because

• The first time, a spatially resolved solar disk will be placed within the UV band.
• The rarely observed acceleration regime of CME will be consistently observed by the satellite due to the CME dynamics near the solar disk.
• The spacecraft has onboard intelligence to detect solar flares and CMEs to provide optimised data volume and observations.
• It will conduct multi-directional observations to provide direction and energy anisotropy of solar winds.

Aditya L1 Payloads

Four of the seven payloads have a direct view of the Sun from the unique location of Lagrange Point 1 (L1), while the remaining three payloads conduct in-situ studies on particles and fields at L1. These are the 7 payloads on the Aditya L1 spacecraft.

• Solar Low Energy X-ray Spectrometer (SoLEXS)
• Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (SUIT)
• Visible Emission Line Coronagraph (VELC)
• Plasma Analyser Package For Aditya (PAPA)
• Aditya Solar Wind Particle Experiment (ASPEX)
• High Energy L1 Orbiting X-ray Spectrometer (HEL1OS)
• Advanced Tri-axial High-Resolution Digital Magnetometers

What are Lagrange Points?

Lagrange Points are enhanced areas of attraction and repulsion in a two-body system. At the Lagrange point, the centripetal force required for a small object is equal to the gravitational pull of two large bodies, which allows the spacecraft placed at Lagrange points to stay in position and move with them without using much fuel.

There are five Lagrange points - L1, L2, L3, L4 and L5 in any two-body gravitational system.

L1 lies about 1% of the Sun’s distance from Earth.

Trajectory of Aditya L1

The Aditya L1 spacecraft will first be placed in a low earth orbit before being propelled towards the Lagrange point L1. During its journey, it will exit the Earth's gravitational Sphere of Influence (SOI) and enter a cruise phase. Finally, it will be injected into Lagrange Point 1’s large halo orbit. The entire trip will take approximately four months for Aditya L1.

What is Halo Orbit?

Halo orbits are three-dimensional orbits near Lagrange points in the three-body problem of orbital mechanics. They result from an interaction between the gravitational pull of two planetary bodies and the Coriolis and centrifugal force on a spacecraft.

The halo orbit gives any satellite placed in it the massive advantage of constantly viewing the Sun without any eclipse or occultation. This is why Aditya L1 is being sent to the halo orbit of Lagrange point L1 of Sun-Earth, which is approximately 1.5 million kilometres from Earth.

Conclusion

The Aditya L1 launch will be telecasted live on Doordarshan and ISRO’s YouTube channel. Students can take a look at some of the interesting topics and questions related to the Sun and solar storms, such as the following:

• Source of the Sun's energy
• Formation of a nebula
• Satellite damage due to solar storms
• Difference between nuclear fission and fusion
• And other important questions

Moreover, students can check out other study materials offered by TopperLearning for comprehensive exam preparation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q 1. How will Aditya-L1 land on the Sun?

Ans: No, Aditya L1 will not land on the Sun. It will be sent to the halo orbit of Lagrange Point 1 of the Sun-Earth system.

Q 2. How much distance will Aditya-L1 cover?

Ans: Aditya L1 will cover a distance of 1.5 million kilometres to reach Lagrange Point 1.

Q 3. How many days will Aditya L1 take to reach the Sun?

Ans: After the launch on 2nd September, the Aditya L1 spacecraft will cruise for about 100+ days and reach the L1 point in 4 months.

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