India’s solar observation craft arrives at destination on time

India’s solar observation mission, Aditya-L1, has reached its destination within its scheduled four-month time frame, the latest achievement for the country’s space programme after the successful landing of a craft near the Moon’s south pole last year.

Launched on September 2, the spacecraft covered approximately 1.5 million kilometres to position itself at Lagrange Point 1, the Indian Space Research Organisation said on Saturday.

From there, it will undertake a comprehensive study of the Sun, focusing on the solar corona and its influence on space weather.

The Lagrange Point benefits from gravitational forces that allow objects to remain relatively stationary, reducing the spacecraft’s fuel consumption.

“India creates yet another landmark. It is a testament to the relentless dedication of our scientists in realising among the most complex and intricate space missions,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a post on social media.

Equipped with seven payloads, Aditya-L1 will conduct remote sensing of the sun and in situ observations for five years.

Scientists involved in the project aim to gain insights into the impact of solar radiation on the increasing number of satellites in orbit, with a particular focus on phenomena affecting ventures like the Starlink communications network.

“We definitely need to know more about the Sun, as it controls the space weather,” said former Isro scientist Manish Purohit.

Stationing a spacecraft at L1 acts as an early warning system for an upcoming storm from the Sun, he said.

India has more projects planned this year, including its first manned space mission and a low-Earth orbit observatory system, jointly developed by Isro and Nasa, called Nisar.

Nisar will map the entire planet once every 12 days, providing data to help understand changes in ecosystems, ice mass, vegetation biomass, sea level rise, groundwater and natural disasters.