Aditya-L1 Mission

1.India’s first dedicated space-based solar mission, has made a ground-breaking observation by capturing the first-ever image of a solar flare ‘kernel’ in the lower solar atmosphere (photosphere and chromosphere) using its Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (SUIT) in the Near Ultra-Violet (NUV) band.

• About Aditya-L1 Mission:

oLaunched: September 2, 2023, by ISRO PSLV C-57 rocket.

oOrbit Placement: Successfully placed in a large halo orbit around the first Earth-Sun Lagrange Point (L1) on January 6, 2024.

o L1 Point: Located 1.5 million km from Earth towards the Sun, allowing continuous solar observations without eclipses or occultations.

• Scientific Payloads:

o SUIT (Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope) –in collaboration with ISRO Centres. Developed by IUCAA

o SoLEXS (Solar Low Energy X-ray Spectrometer) and HEL1OS (High Energy L1 Orbiting X-ray Spectrometer) – Developed by UR Rao Satellite Centre (URSC), Bengaluru.

o These payloads detect and analyze solar flares across NUV, soft X-ray, and hard X-ray wavelengths.

• About Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (SUIT)

o Captures high-resolution images in 11 different NUV wavebands (200-400 nm).

o Observes the full solar disk or a specific region based on scientific interest.

o Helps study multiple layers of the Sun’s atmosphere, their coupling, and dynamics.

o Works with SoLEXS and HEL1OS, which monitor solar X-ray emissions to detect solar flare activity.

• What is a Solar Flare?

o A sudden, intense burst of solar energy from the Solar atmosphere caused by the Sun’s dynamic magnetic field.

o When the magnetic field lines snap, they release energy as light/radiation and high-energy charged particles.