ISRO to launch its first solar mission Aditya-L1 to study 'SUN'

Digital Desk: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has shared an update on its next ambitious mission, Aditya-L1. It is the first space-based observatory to study the Sun from space in India. The mission is slated to launch on a PSLV-XL vehicle on August 26.

The Aditya-L1 satellite's first images have been shared by ISRO. The satellite, which is now at SDSC-SHAR in Sriharikota, was developed at the UR Rao Satellite Centre (URSC), Bengaluru. 

The ISRO and several other Indian scientific institutions are currently designing and developing Aditya L1, a coronagraph spacecraft that will study the solar atmosphere.

It will be placed in a halo orbit around the L1 point between the Earth and the Sun, where it will observe the solar atmosphere and solar magnetic storms to learn more about how they affect the Earth's ecosystem.

As the first-ever dedicated mission to observe the Sun, it will be a historic mission for the Indian space agency. 

The Advisory Committee for Space Research first came up with the idea for Aditya-L1 in January 2008. It was originally planned to be a 400 kg, Low Earth Observation (LEO), coronagraph-equipped spacecraft for studying the solar corona. For the 2016–2017 fiscal year, a budget of Rs 3 crore was been out for experiments.

Since then, the mission's objectives have been widened, and it is currently intended to be a thorough observatory of the solar and space environments that will be situated near Lagrange Point 1. As of July 2019, the mission has an allocated cost of ₹378.53 crore, excluding launch costs.

The third lunar mission, Chandrayaan-3, which was launched on July 14 is expected to land on the lunar surface on August 23–24. Within a few days, the ISRO will also launch its maiden Sun mission Aditya-L1.