Shifting its focus from the Earth's natural satellite (Moon) to the biggest star of our solar system (Sun), the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is currently planning its first mission to the Sun with its solar probe- Aditya L1.

After the successful launch of the Chandrayaan 2 on Monday, according to ISRO's official website, Aditya L1 will be launched during 2019 – 2020 timeframe by PSLV-XL from its base at Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.

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Why a Sun mission?

"How the corona gets heated to such high temperatures is still an unanswered question in solar physics," says ISRO. Aditya L-1 will study the outer layers of the Sun, extending to thousands of kilometers above the disc (photosphere) - which is termed as the corona. The corona which has a temperature of more than a million-degree Kelvin compared to the solar disc's temperature of around 6000K is yet to be studied.

What is Aditya L 1 mission?

This mission comprises of a 400kg class satellite carrying six payloads to primarily study the Sun's corona. It will be placed in the halo orbit around the Lagrangian point 1 (L1) of the Sun-Earth system at a distance of about 1.5 million km from the Earth. Due to multiple payloads, institutions from around the country will have the opportunity to participate in space-based instrumentation and observations, according to ISRO.

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What are the various payloads and their functions?

Aditya L-1 aims at observing the sun's Corona, Photosphere, particle flux, and magnetic flux. Being in the halo orbit will help Aditya L-1 to continuously view the Sun without any eclipses. Here is the list of payloads, as described by ISRO:

• Visible Emission Line Coronagraph (VELC): The Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA)'s payload will study the parameters of the solar corona (inner core) and the origin of Corona's Mass Ejections (radiations in 3 different spectra).
• Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (SUIT): The Inter-University Centre for Astronomy & Astrophysics (IUCAA)'s payload will image the Sun's Photosphere and Chromosphere in UV spectrum to measure the many variations.
• Aditya Solar wind Particle Experiment (ASPEX): The Physical Research Laboratory (PRL)'s payload will study the variation of solar wind properties and its distribution along with its spectral characteristics. 
• Plasma Analyser Package for Aditya (PAPA): Space Physics Laboratory (SPL), VSSC's payload will attempt to understand the composition of solar wind and its energy distribution. 
• Solar Low Energy X-ray Spectrometer (SoLEXS): ISRO Satellite Centre (ISAC)'s payload will monitor the X-ray flares for studying the heating occurs in the Sun's corona 
• High Energy L1 Orbiting X-ray Spectrometer (HEL1OS): ISRO Satellite Centre (ISAC)and Udaipur Solar Observatory (USO), PRL's joint payload will observe the dynamic events in the Sun's corona and provide an estimate of the energy used to accelerate the particles during eruptive events.
• Magnetometer: Laboratory for Electro-optic Systems (LEOS) and ISAC's payload will measure the magnitude and nature of the Interplanetary Magnetic Field.
   

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