Aditya-L1 Mission

Context: The Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (SUIT) is now ready and has been delivered to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

• The telescope is set to be integrated with the ADITYA-L1 mission, expected to be launched in mid-August this year.

About Aditya-L1 Mission:

• Aditya-L1 is the first Indian space mission to observe the Sun and the solar corona.
• It will be ISRO’s first space observatory dedicated to studying the Sun.
• It will be placed in a halo orbit around the first Lagrange point, L1, of the Sun-Earth system which allows it to look at the Sun continuously.
• It contains seven payloads on board to observe the photosphere, chromosphere and the outermost layers of the Sun (the corona).
• It will provide greater advantage of observing the solar activities and its effect on space weather.

Objectives:

• The study of the dynamic nature of the sun’s outermost layers, the corona, and the chromosphere and gather information about coronal mass ejection (CME).
• Study on origin of solar flares and their direction via the interplanetary space from the sun to the earth.
• The examinations will also include the collection of data for space weather prediction.

Image Source: NASA

Additional Information: About L1 Point: The L1 point of the Earth-Sun system provides an uninterrupted view of the sun and is currently home to the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory Satellite SOHO from Nasa. This position provides a greater advantage of observing solar activities continuously. Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (SUIT): It is a unique space telescope developed by Pune’s Inter-University Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA).

 News Source: The Indian Express