ISRO's Aditya-L1 mission gets crucial telescope to monitor Sun
Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) Aditya-L1 mission has received an important instrument, called Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (SUIT). The telescope will be a crucial piece of equipment aboard the Aditya-L1 mission, which is expected to launch in August to carry out observations of the Sun. SUIT has been built by Inter-University Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) in Pune.
Why does this story matter?
The Aditya-L1 mission is among the most significant upcoming space missions. It will mark a major milestone as it is the first space-based Indian mission to study the Sun. The mission has faced a couple of delays because of COVID-19. SUIT, the mission's latest addition to its array of instruments, took almost a decade to develop.
What is Aditya L1 mission about?
Aditya-L1 spacecraft will be positioned about 1.5 million kilometers from the Earth, particularly at the Lagrange point 1 (L1). From the L1 location, the spacecraft has the advantage of continuously viewing the Sun without any occultation or eclipses, per ISRO. The mission will provide real-time information on solar activities, including coronal mass ejection as well as solar flares and their effect on space weather.
SUIT will be among the main payloads on Aditya-L1
SUIT will be among the main payloads on the Aditya-L1 spacecraft. The solar telescope will capture full disk images of the Sun in the 2,000-4,000 angstrom wavelength. Full disk images of the Sun in this entire wavelength range have never been obtained before, said AN Ramprakash, a professor from IUCAA, who helped develop the telescope.
What are the objectives of the solar telescope?
SUIT will provide several crucial insights about the Sun. It will help answer fundamental questions such as the origin and variation of near-ultraviolet radiation from the Sun and the reason behind the existence of a higher-temperature atmosphere above the cooler surface of the Sun. The solar telescope will also measure the UV radiation hazards for skin cancer, per Indian Express.
Aditya-L1 mission could launch around mid-August
If everything goes according to plan, the Aditya-L1 mission could take off around mid-August. It will take approximately 100 days for the spacecraft to reach the halo orbit. The mission will be equipped with seven other payloads for performing science investigations. Among these, four payloads will carry out remote sensing of the Sun and the remaining three will perform in-situ observations, according to ISRO.
