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After successfully landing the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft on the south pole of the Moon, India is all set to embark on its inaugural mission aimed at studying the Sun. This mission, named Aditya L1, is planned for launch on Saturday, September 2nd, at 11:50 am.
The launch will take place from the Second Launch Pad (SLP) situated at Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. Let’s discuss into the specifics of this mission.
What is Aditya L1 mission duration
Aditya means ‘Sun’ in Sanskrit. Aditya L1 stands as India’s initial space mission aimed at exploring the Sun. The satellite is planned to be positioned in a special path around a point called Lagrange 1 (L1), which is around 1.5 million km away from Earth. This point is quite far, about 1% of the distance between the Earth and the Sun.
The Sun is like a huge ball of gas, and Aditya-L1’s focus is on learning about the outer part of the Sun’s atmosphere. It’s essential to note that Aditya-L1 won’t actually land on the Sun or come too close to it. The spacecraft will be aimed at observing the Sun from a distance.
How will Aditya L1 study the sun
The Aditya-L1 satellite is designed to thoroughly study the Sun. It has seven different tools on board, all made in India: Five by ISRO and two by Indian academic institutes with ISRO’s help. These tools will look at the Sun’s surface, its outer layers, and the corona using special detectors for light, particles, and magnetic fields.
Four of these tools will directly observe the Sun, while the other three will study particles and fields near a point called Lagrange point L1. These studies will help us understand how the Sun’s behavior affects the space between planets. They will also give us important insights into issues like why the Sun’s outer layer is so hot, solar explosions, and space weather patterns.
Why Aditya L1 is important?
An advantage of putting a satellite in the halo orbit around the L1 point is that it can stay facing the Sun all the time. This means it won’t have any interruptions like shadows or eclipses. This is really helpful for watching the Sun and studying how its activities affect space weather, as we can see everything happening in real-time.
What is Aditya L1 mission duration
The Aditya L1 mission is predicted to continue for around five years. Throughout its mission, the satellite will circle around L1 in a path that is not perfectly round. This path lies in a direction mostly at right angles to the imaginary line connecting the Earth and the Sun.
What is Aditya L1 mission duration
The Aditya L1 satellite is set to launch on top of the PSLV-C57 rocket, which marks the 59th flight of the PSLV and the 25th mission using the PSLV-XL configuration. The launch is planned for September 2, 2023. After the launch, Aditya-L1 will spend 16 days in orbits close to Earth. During this time, it will perform 5 maneuvers to increase its speed for the upcoming journey.
Aditya-L1 will perform a significant move known as the Trans-Lagrangian insertion maneuver. This maneuver is crucial as it kicks off a 110-day journey toward its destination around a point in space called the L1 Lagrange point.
Once Aditya-L1 reaches the L1 Lagrange point, another maneuver will be executed. This maneuver will lock the satellite into an orbit around the L1 point, where it will carry out its observations and scientific tasks.
FAQs on Aditya L1 mission
What is the duration of the Aditya L1 mission?
The Aditya L1 mission is planned to last for approximately 110 days.
When is the scheduled launch of Aditya-L1 in 2023?
The launch of Aditya-L1 is scheduled for September 2, 2023.
When is India launching Aditya-L1?
India is launching the Aditya-L1 mission on September 2, 2023.
Where will Aditya-L1 be launched?
Aditya-L1 will be launched atop the PSLV-C57 rocket from India's spaceport.
How will Aditya L1 reach the Sun?
Aditya-L1 will not directly reach the Sun's surface. Instead, it will be placed in an orbit around the L1 Lagrange point, which is a position between the Earth and the Sun where the gravitational forces are balanced. This orbit allows Aditya-L1 to observe the Sun and gather scientific data.
How much life is left for the Sun?
The Sun has been shining for about 4.6 billion years and is currently middle-aged. Scientists estimate that it has around 5 billion years of life left before it exhausts its nuclear fuel and undergoes changes that will eventually lead to its transformation into a red giant.
How old is the Sun estimated to be?
The Sun is estimated to be around 4.6 billion years old.
What is Aditya-L1 made of?
Aditya-L1 is constructed using various materials and components suitable for space missions. It is equipped with instruments and systems designed to study the Sun's atmosphere and phenomena. The satellite is made to withstand the harsh conditions of space and provide valuable scientific data.
