Editor's Pick: ISRO to launch Aditya-L1 on September 2 to study the sun

Riding on the back of the successful moon landing for its Chandrayaan-3 mission, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced on Monday that it will launch Aditya-L1, the country’s first space-based observatory to study the sun, on September 2. The spacecraft will be launched at 11.50 a.m. from Sriharikota. ISRO plans to place it in a halo orbit around Lagrange point 1 (L1) of the sun-earth system, which is about 1.5 million km from the earth. Lagrange point is a position in space where objects tend to stay in the same place. “A satellite placed in the halo orbit around the L1 point has the major advantage of continuously viewing the Sun without any occultation/eclipses. This will provide a greater advantage of observing the solar activities and their effect on space weather in real time,” the space agency said in its mission statement. The mission is expected to provide crucial information for understanding the phenomenon of coronal heating, coronal mass ejection, pre-flare and flare activities and their characteristics, the dynamics of space weather, propagation of particles and fields etc. So far, most solar probe missions have been undertaken by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the European Space Agency (ESA), and Japan. China too successfully launched its Advanced Space-based Solar Observatory (ASO-S) in 2022. ISRO’s low-budget Chandrayaan-3 mission has been welcomed by the world, establishing it as an important player in the space exploration arena. India is now also a member of the Artemis Accords, the U.S.-led multilateral effort to place humans on the moon by 2025 and thereafter to expand human space exploration of our solar system. As such, it only seems to be the opportune time for ISRO to expand its scope with missions such as Aditya-L1. Successful missions also increase the possibility of private sector contributions to the country’s space exploration programmes, accelerating innovation and propelling India as a leader in space research. The Hindu’s Editorials Gold winner: On Neeraj Chopra and his golden arm Old ties: On the India and Greece bilateral relationship The Hindu’s Daily News Quiz Which State government launched the Indira Gandhi Smartphone Scheme? Chhattisgarh Himachal Pradesh Rajasthan Karnataka To know the answer and to play the full quiz, click here. [logo] Editor's Pick 29 August 2023 [The Hindu logo] In the Editor's Pick newsletter, The Hindu explains why a story was important enough to be carried on the front page of today's edition of our newspaper. [Arrow]( [Open in browser]( [Mail icon]( [More newsletters]( ISRO to launch Aditya-L1 on September 2 to study the sun Riding on the back of the successful moon landing for its Chandrayaan-3 mission, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced on Monday that it will launch [Aditya-L1]( the country’s first space-based observatory to study the sun, on September 2. The spacecraft will be launched at 11.50 a.m. from Sriharikota. ISRO plans to place it in a halo orbit around Lagrange point 1 (L1) of the sun-earth system, which is about 1.5 million km from the earth. Lagrange point is a position in space where objects tend to stay in the same place. “A satellite placed in the halo orbit around the L1 point has the major advantage of continuously viewing the Sun without any occultation/eclipses. This will provide a greater advantage of observing the solar activities and their effect on space weather in real time,” the space agency said in its mission statement. The mission is expected to provide crucial information for understanding the phenomenon of coronal heating, coronal mass ejection, pre-flare and flare activities and their characteristics, the dynamics of space weather, propagation of particles and fields etc. So far, most solar probe missions have been undertaken by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the European Space Agency (ESA), and Japan. China too successfully launched its Advanced Space-based Solar Observatory (ASO-S) in 2022. ISRO’s low-budget [Chandrayaan-3]( mission has been welcomed by the world, establishing it as an important player in the space exploration arena. India is now also a member of the Artemis Accords, the U.S.-led multilateral effort to place humans on the moon by 2025 and thereafter to expand human space exploration of our solar system. As such, it only seems to be the opportune time for ISRO to expand its scope with missions such as Aditya-L1. Successful missions also increase the possibility of private sector contributions to the country’s space exploration programmes, accelerating innovation and propelling India as a leader in space research. The Hindu’s Editorials [Arrow][Gold winner: On Neeraj Chopra and his golden arm]( [Arrow][Old ties: On the India and Greece bilateral relationship]( The Hindu’s Daily News Quiz Which State government launched the Indira Gandhi Smartphone Scheme? - Chhattisgarh - Himachal Pradesh - Rajasthan - Karnataka To know the answer and to play the full quiz, [click here](. 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