State PCS
Which ISRO mission is India's first space-based observatory dedicated to studying the Sun?
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Answer: Option C — Aditya-L1
Detailed Solution
Aditya-L1 is India's first space-based solar observatory, built by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to study the Sun.
About the mission:
- It was launched on 2 September 2023 by the PSLV-C57 rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota.
- It reached a "halo orbit" around the first Lagrange point (L1) of the Sun-Earth system on 6 January 2024.
- "Aditya" means the Sun in Sanskrit.
About the L1 point:
- Lagrange points are positions in space where the gravitational pull of two large bodies (here the Sun and the Earth) balances the motion of a smaller object, so that it can stay in a relatively fixed position.
- L1 is about 1.5 million km from the Earth, towards the Sun, which is about one per cent of the Earth-Sun distance.
- From L1, the spacecraft can observe the Sun continuously, without being blocked by the Earth or by eclipses.
Its payloads:
- It carries seven scientific instruments.
- Four of them observe the Sun directly, including the "Visible Emission Line Coronagraph" (VELC) and the "Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope" (SUIT).
- Three study the particles and magnetic fields at L1.
Its objectives:
- To study the Sun's corona (outer atmosphere), chromosphere and photosphere.
- To understand solar flares, coronal mass ejections and the solar wind.
- To study "space weather", which can affect satellites, communication systems and power grids on Earth.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Chandrayaan-3 landed near the Moon's south pole on 23 August 2023.
- ✗XPoSat (2024) is India's first X-ray polarimetry satellite, studying black holes and neutron stars.
- ✗Astrosat (2015) is India's first multi-wavelength space observatory.
Quick tip
Remember: Aditya-L1 = India's first solar mission (launched 2 September 2023 by PSLV-C57; reached the L1 halo orbit on 6 January 2024; 7 payloads); L1 = about 1.5 million km from Earth.
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Space Technology & ISRO Missions — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Space Technology & ISRO Missions, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers India's space programme: the history of ISRO, launch vehicles such as the PSLV and GSLV, satellites and their uses, India's missions to the Moon, Mars and the Sun, and major international space missions and agencies. Questions often ask when and from where a satellite or mission was launched, what it was meant to do, and which launch vehicle carried it. For example, Aryabhata was India's first satellite (1975), and Chandrayaan-3 landed near the Moon's south pole in 2023. New missions are launched every year, so pair these facts with recent current affairs. Practise the space technology and ISRO questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.