The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will launch Aditya L-1, its first space-based mission to study the Sun, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on Saturday (September 2) at 11:50 am. The lift-off will take place barely 10 days after ISRO became the first space agency to soft-land a spacecraft near the Moon’s south pole.
How will the Aditya L-1 mission reach space? Where will it be placed in space? What are its objectives? What payloads it is carrying? And, why does ISRO need to examine the Sun anyway? Here is everything you need to know about ISRO’s Aditya-L1 mission.
How will the Aditya L-1 go into space?
The solar probe will be carried into space by the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) in ‘XL’ configuration. PSLV is one of the most reliable and versatile workhorse rockets of ISRO. Previous missions like Chandrayaan-1 in 2008 and Mangalyaan in 2013 were also launched using PSLV. The rocket is most powerful in the ‘XL’ configuration as it is equipped with six extended strap-on boosters — they are larger than the boosters of other configurations and, therefore, can carry heavier payloads.
What is the Aditya L-1 mission?
The PSLV will initially place the Aditya L-1 in a lower Earth orbit. Subsequently, the orbit as well as the velocity of the spacecraft around the Earth will be increased using onboard propulsion till it is slingshot towards the Sun.
