India prepares to launch first solar research mission

IndianExpress on the evening of August 28 (local time) quoted an announcement from the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) confirming that the country will launch the PSLV space rocket carrying the Aditya-L1 satellite into space on September 2 from the spaceport in the Sriharikota area of Andhra Pradesh state in its first solar research mission.

The Aditya-L1 satellite will take about four months to travel from the launch site to the ideal point for observing the Sun, located 1.5 million km from Earth, also known as the L-1 point (Langrange Point).

Through Aditya-L1 - India's first solar probe, scientists will learn more about solar wind, which is responsible for magnetic storms and has a direct link to auroras on Earth and other planets.

Aditya L-1 will carry seven instruments to study the Sun's atmosphere, solar storms and their impact on the Earth's environment.

ISRO's solar mission was announced days after India became the first country to successfully land its Vikram lander near the lunar south pole. Before Vikram, Russia's Luna-25 spacecraft also attempted to land on the lunar south pole, but failed.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and many senior officials of the country assessed that New Delhi is entering a "golden era" of space exploration program.

ISRO has not yet announced the cost of this Solar Research Mission. The last Lunar Research Mission cost about $75 million.

Minh Hoa (t/h according to Vietnam+, People's Police)

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