Aditya-L1 mission update: First high-energy X-ray of solar flares captured by ISRO spacecraft! | Tech News

Aditya-L1 mission update: First high-energy X-ray of solar flares captured by ISRO spacecraft!

In a recent update by ISRO about the Aditya-L1 mission, the X-ray Spectrometer (HEL1OS) captured a high-energy solar flare.

By: HT TECH
| Updated on: Nov 08 2023, 16:56 IST
Aditya -L1 Mission: ISRO’s maiden solar mission heading toward the Sun
 Aditya-L1
1/5 ISRO's Aditya-L1 mission, launched on September 2, 2023, marks India's inaugural dedicated mission to study the Sun's photosphere, chromosphere, and corona. The spacecraft is now en route to its ultimate destination, the Sun-Earth Lagrange Point 1 (L1).   (ANI)
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2/5 Lagrange points are unique positions in space where the gravitational forces of two massive bodies, in this case, the Sun and Earth, perfectly balance the centripetal force required for a smaller object, like a spacecraft, to remain in sync. These points minimize the need for orbit corrections and fuel consumption, making them ideal for scientific missions. (ANI)
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3/5 Among the five Lagrange points, L1 is especially significant because it is situated between the Sun and Earth, offering a prime location for spacecraft. This positioning enables continuous observation of both primary bodies, unbroken communication with Earth, and an unobstructed view of celestial objects. (ANI)
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4/5 Aditya-L1 will adopt a 'Halo orbit' around L1, situated approximately 1.5 million kilometers from Earth. Halo orbits are three-dimensional paths around a Lagrange Point, providing continuous visibility from Earth, resembling a halo. (ANI)
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5/5 Space missions, such as the International Sun-Earth Explorer (ISEE-3), the Genesis mission, ESA's LISA Pathfinder, China's Chang'e 5 lunar orbiter, and NASA's Gravity Recovery and Interior Recovery (GRAIL) mission, have previously leveraged the Sun-Earth L1 point to enhance our understanding of space and monitor space weather events. Several operational spacecraft currently occupy this location, playing a crucial role in providing early warnings about adverse space weather events, safeguarding orbiting space assets and ground-based infrastructure. (ANI)
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Check the recent solar flare discovery by the Aditya-L1 spacecraft. (ANI)

Aditya-L1 mission spacecraft is now in its trajectory towards a point where the Sun-Earth system is at equilibrium to study various phenomena. In a recent update, the Aditya-L1 spacecraft has captured the first-ever high-energy X-ray of solar flares during its monitoring phase. Till now, the spacecraft has made successful manoeuvres including a Trans-Lagrangean Point 1 Insertion (TL1I) manoeuvre and now it will be placed at the halo orbit of Lagrange Point 1. Know what ISRO uncovered with the X-ray image of the Sun.

Aditya-L1 mission findings

ISRO shared an update about the Aditya-L1 mission through their official X (Formerly Twitter) handle saying that the HEL1OS spectrometer captured the first high-energy X-ray of solar flares along with GOES X-ray light curves. The Indian space agency further reported that the spectrometer attached to the spacecraft was responsible for recording the highest phase of the solar flare on October 29, during its first observation period.

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ISRO reported that such solar flares are sudden occurrences of the Sun's outer layers. These flares emit harmful radiations across the electromagnetic spectrum – radio, optical, UV, soft X-rays, hard X-rays and gamma-rays. Right now the HEL1OS is in fine-tuning of thresholds and calibration operations phase and it will continue to study the Sun's high-energy X-ray activities. ISRO said, “HEL1OS data enables researchers to study explosive energy release and electron acceleration during impulsive phases of solar flares.”

About HEL1OS spectrometer

The High Energy L1 Orbiting X-ray Spectrometer (HEL1OS) is designed to study the Sun's explosive energy release, electron acceleration, and transport during solar flares with fast timing measurements and high resolution spectra. The instrument was developed by the Space Astronomy Group of the U. R. Rao Satellite Centre, ISRO, Bengaluru, in collaboration with different centre entities.

The HEL1OS spectrometer has been studying the Sun's solar flare activities since October 27, and it captured the highest energy of the flare on October 29, 2023, giving insights into the activities of the Sun. ISRO will be providing more information on the findings.

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First Published Date: 08 Nov, 16:49 IST
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