India’s space agency, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), has launched a rocket to study the sun in its first-ever solar mission. The launch comes after India’s recent success in landing on the south pole of the moon, beating Russia in the process. The rocket, named Aditya-L1, aims to study solar winds, which can cause disturbances on earth known as auroras.
Thousands of people gathered at a viewing gallery near the launch site to witness the rocket launch, which was also watched by nearly 500,000 viewers on ISRO’s website. The launch was accompanied by applause from scientists as the rocket left a trail of smoke and fire.
The Aditya-L1 spacecraft is set to travel about 1.5 million km (930,000 miles) over four months to reach a Lagrange Point, a position in space where gravitational forces balance out and objects tend to remain stationary. This reduces fuel consumption for the spacecraft.
According to Somak Raychaudhury, one of the developers of the observatory, the mission has the potential to make a significant scientific impact. Energy particles emitted by the sun can damage satellites that control global communications systems. Protecting satellites in low earth orbit, where most private satellites are positioned, is a key focus of the Aditya L1 mission.
Scientists hope that data collected from this mission will enhance understanding of the effects of solar radiation on the increasing number of satellites orbiting the earth. This information is particularly important as the space environment becomes more crowded due to ventures like Elon Musk’s Starlink communications network.
In addition, the data gathered could help improve understanding of the sun’s impact on climate patterns on earth and shed light on the origins of solar wind, a stream of particles emitted by the sun that flows through the solar system.
India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, has been pushing for the privatization of space launches and plans to open the sector to foreign investment. The country aims to increase its share of the global launch market five-fold within the next decade. The success of ISRO plays a crucial role in showcasing India’s capabilities in the sector as space becomes an increasingly global business.
Reporting by Nivedita Bhattacharjee in Bengaluru; Additional reporting by Jayshree P Upadhyay; Editing by William Mallard
Credit: The Star : News Feed
