In a momentous achievement for India’s space program, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-XL) carried out the successful launch of India’s first Solar Mission, Aditya L1, from the Sriharikota Range on September 2, 2023. Union Minister Jitendra Singh hailed this event as India’s “sunshine moment,” emphasizing the immense dedication and effort put forth by Indian scientists and engineers.
“Addressing ISRO scientists and engineers at the Mission Control Room shortly after the launch, Dr. Jitendra Singh expressed his pride in the hard work and determination of Indian scientists, who had tirelessly worked for years to make this mission a reality. He also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his unwavering support and for expanding the horizons of India’s space sector, demonstrating that the sky is not the limit”.
The successful launch of Aditya L1 follows closely on the heels of the Chandrayaan-3 lunar mission, underlining India’s commitment to exploring the frontiers of space. Dr. Singh emphasized that this achievement is the result of a collaborative effort, involving various science institutes across the country, including the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bengaluru, the National Aerospace Laboratories, and several Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), among others.
“Describing it as a day of reckoning, Dr. Singh looked ahead to the next 25 years of India’s space endeavors, highlighting the collective will and effort of India’s 140 crore (1.4 billion) citizens to claim a prominent position on the global stage”.
ISRO Chairman S Somanath also lauded the successful launch, confirming that Aditya L1 had been placed precisely in its intended orbit. The solar observatory, equipped with its deployed solar panels, has initiated power generation.
“Aditya L1’s mission is groundbreaking as it is India’s first space-based mission dedicated to studying the Sun. Over the next four months, the spacecraft will maneuver itself into a halo orbit around the Lagrange point 1 (L1) of the Sun-Earth system, located approximately 1.5 million km from Earth. This unique orbit offers uninterrupted views of the Sun, enabling real-time observations of solar activities and their impact on space weather”.
The Aditya L1 spacecraft carries seven payloads designed to observe various aspects of the Sun, including the photosphere, chromosphere, and the outermost layer, the corona, using electromagnetic, particle, and magnetic field detectors. In addition, the spacecraft will conduct in-situ studies of particles and fields at Lagrange point L1, providing valuable insights into the propagation of solar dynamics in the interplanetary medium.
The successful launch of Aditya L1 marks a significant step forward in India’s space exploration journey, reaffirming its commitment to advancing scientific knowledge and contributing to our understanding of the universe.
