India’s Aditya L1 mission, dedicated to studying the sun, has achieved a significant milestone by commencing its observation of solar winds. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced the activation of the Aditya Solar wind Particle Experiment (ASPEX) payload aboard the satellite, marking the commencement of its operations and indicating normal performance.
Comprising the Solar wind Ion Spectrometer (SWIS) and STEPS (SupraThermal and Energetic Particle Spectrometer), ASPEX has now seen both instruments in action. While STEPS commenced operations on September 10, the SWIS instrument was initiated on Saturday, demonstrating optimal functionality, as confirmed by ISRO.
In a notable development, ISRO also shared an image on X, showcasing energy variations observed in proton and alpha particle counts, captured by the newly activated payload.
The Aditya L1 mission, which took off from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh on September 2, aims to explore various aspects of solar phenomena. Among its primary objectives are investigating the physics of solar corona, understanding its heating mechanism, solar wind acceleration, solar atmosphere dynamics, solar wind distribution and temperature anisotropy, as well as studying the origins of Coronal Mass Ejections (CME) and flares, and near-earth space weather.
India’s ambitious space endeavors also include ongoing projects like the human spaceflight program, aspiring to launch astronauts into orbit by 2025, marking a pivotal moment in the country’s space exploration initiatives.
Sources By Agencies
