The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced that the Aditya Solar Wind Particle Experiment (ASPEX) payload on board the Aditya-L1 satellite has successfully initiated operations and is functioning as expected. The Aditya-L1 mission, which aims to explore the sun, has achieved a significant milestone by beginning observations of solar winds. The ASPEX payload comprises two instruments: the Solar Wind Ion Spectrometer (SWIS) and STEPS (SupraThermal and Energetic Particle Spectrometer). While STEPS commenced operations on September 10, the SWIS instrument was recently activated and has demonstrated excellent performance, according to ISRO. The space agency also shared an image on social media, illustrating fluctuations in energy levels observed in proton and alpha particle counts recorded by the new payload.
The Aditya-L1 mission was launched from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh on September 2, with primary objectives including the study of the physics of the solar corona, solar wind acceleration, dynamics and coupling of the solar atmosphere, distribution and temperature anisotropy of solar wind, as well as the origins of Coronal Mass Ejections (CME) and flares, and near-Earth space weather. This mission is part of India’s broader space exploration efforts, including a human spaceflight program that aims to launch astronauts into orbit, potentially achieving this milestone by 2025.
The study of solar winds has several implications and applications, including space weather prediction, understanding their impact on technology, observing auroras, enhancing space exploration endeavors, and contributing to fundamental scientific research by providing insights into astrophysical processes related to the Sun and the solar system.
