India successfully launched Aditya-L1 solar probe

On the afternoon of September 2 (Vietnam time), the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) successfully launched the Aditya-L1 solar probe from the Satish Dhawan Space Center.

The Aditya-L1 probe will be launched into low Earth orbit. The probe will then fire its thrusters and head towards the Lagrange 1 (L1) point between the Earth and the Sun. From there, Aditya-L1 can study the Sun without being affected by occultations.

The Aditya-L1 probe carries seven instruments to observe the Sun's atmosphere, surface (photosphere), magnetic field and particles around the star. One of the most intense regions that Aditya-L1 will study is the Sun's upper atmosphere.

The probe will also take ultraviolet images of the corona and photosphere with the Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (SUIT).

In addition to exploring the mysteries of the solar corona, the Aditya-L1 spacecraft will also observe solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs), powerful explosions that can affect life on Earth.

Aditya-L1 will also study changes in plasma as it travels from the Sun to Earth. The probe will also take several measurements of the near-Earth plasma environment using the Solar Wind Particle Experiment (ASPEX).

If successful, India will be the first Asian country to put a spacecraft into orbit around the Sun. However, the Aditya-L1 spacecraft will only stop at 1% of the distance between Earth and the Sun.

At that distance, the gravitational forces of the Sun and Earth on the spacecraft cancel each other out, helping Aditya-L1 maintain a stable orbit around the Sun.

In late August, India's Chandrayaan-3 probe successfully landed on the Moon's south pole. This is a feat that previously only Russia, the US and China had achieved.