India's Maiden Solar Mission Aditya L-1 Set For Launch By 2021 End; Satellite To Travel 1.5 Million Km To Study The Sun

In what would mark a mammoth feat in India's history of space exploration, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is set to attempt its maiden solar mission Aditya L-1 by the end of 2021.

Under the mission, the Aditya L-1 satellite would travel a 1.5 million kilometres from the Earth to study the Sun’s atmosphere.

The satellite will be sent to the L1 or Lagrangian point between the Earth and the Sun, which is where the gravitational pull of both the bodies on the satellite is equal to the centripetal force needed to keep the satellite in orbit. Such points in space allow satellites to make observations without burning much fuel, reports Hindustan Times.

The mission will carry six scientific payloads that will study the visible surface of the sun called photosphere, the irregular layer over it called the Chromosphere, and the layer of plasma called Corona.

Earlier scheduled to be launched in the first half of 2020, the mission was delayed due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, the launch of the maiden unmanned flight under the ambitious Gaganyaan mission of the ISRO is also planned for December 2021.