The Aditya-L1 Mission

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Key takeaways

India launched the Aditya-L1 mission on September 2, 2023, using the PSLV-C57 rocket from Sriharikota.
The spacecraft is stationed about 1.5 million km away from Earth near Lagrange Point 1.
The mission carries 7 scientific payloads to study the Sun continuously for 5 years.
Scientists recently used data from the VELC payload to create Doppler velocity images of the solar corona.

Scientists at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) created Doppler velocity images of the solar corona. They used data from the Visible Emission Line Coronagraph (VELC) payload on India's first solar mission, Aditya-L1.

This is India's first space-based observatory mission. It studies the Sun's outer layers, which include the photosphere, chromosphere, and corona. It also measures solar wind and local magnetic fields.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) developed and operates this mission.
The mission launched on September 2, 2023, using the PSLV-C57 rocket from SDSC SHAR in Sriharikota.
The spacecraft successfully entered its halo orbit around the Sun-Earth Lagrange Point 1 on January 6, 2024.
The mission has a planned active observing lifespan of 5 years.
Its main goal is to study coronal heating, solar flares, coronal mass ejections (CMEs), and space weather.

The spacecraft sits about 1.5 million km from Earth near the Lagrange Point 1 location. This position allows it to watch the Sun without any eclipses getting in the way.
It carries 7 scientific payloads. Four are remote-sensing instruments named VELC, SUIT, SoLEXS, and HEL1OS, while three are in-situ instruments named ASPEX, PAPA, and magnetometers.
The mission studies different solar layers using light, particles, and magnetic field readings.
It tracks solar wind and magnetic storms to improve our understanding and forecasting of space weather dangers.

The new images help scientists track coronal mass ejections. They show whether erupting plasma is heading toward Earth or moving away into space.
The process uses the Doppler Effect by measuring shifts in sunlight wavelengths. Positive speeds mean plasma is moving away, while negative speeds mean it is coming closer.
The Visible Emission Line Coronagraph (VELC) makes special visible-light spectroscopy possible. It creates detailed speed maps of solar plasma to help study solar eruptions.