ISRO Launches Aditya-L1

After Chandrayaan-3, India is now sending its first solar mission in space. Aditya-L1 is India’s first solar mission. It was successfully launched by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) on September 2nd, 2023, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.

The name Aditya was chosen for the solar mission because it means “sun” in Sanskrit language. The L-1 stands for the Lagrange Point 1. Lagrangian points are the special positions between the Sun and the Earth, where it is most beneficial for spacecraft. There are 5 Lagrange points between the Sun and the Earth. 

Aditya-L1 will remain fixed at the L-1 point. It will not land on the Sun or move closer to it. The main aim of the mission is to study the outer atmosphere of the sun, heating mechanisms, magnetic fields, solar winds and more.

It is estimated that Aditya-L1 will take about 125 days to reach the Lagrangian point L-1.