Speaking to reporters, S Somanath, the head of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), announced that the Aditya-L1 mission is scheduled for launch at 11:50 AM on Saturday, September 2.
Before the launch of the Aditya-L1 solar mission, S Somanath, the leader of ISRO, visited the Sri Chengalamma Parameshwari temple in Sullurpeta, Andhra Pradesh, on Friday to offer prayers for its success. According to a temple official, Somanath visited the temple at 7:30 AM.
Somanath informed the press that the Aditya-L1 mission, focused on studying the Sun, is set to launch at 11:50 AM on Saturday. He further mentioned that it will take approximately 125 days for the mission to reach its designated orbit.
Following the Sun observatory mission, ISRO has a series of other missions in the pipeline, including SSLV – D3 and PSLV, scheduled for the near future.
When asked about ISRO’s upcoming missions, Somanath replied, “Next launch is Aditya L1, then by October-mid Gaganyaan in-flight crew escape system demo TV-D1, then GSLV INSAT 3DS, then SSLV-D3, then PSLV, then LVM3 and so on…”
The ISRO announced on Twitter: “PSLV-C57/Aditya-L1 Mission: The 23-hour 40-minute countdown leading to the launch at 11:50 Hrs. IST on September 2, 2023, has commenced today at 12:10 Hrs.”
The launch event can be viewed live on ISRO’s official website, Facebook, YouTube, and DD National TV channel starting from 11:20 AM IST.
Here are some highlights of ISRO’s past and upcoming missions:
ADITYA-L1: Scheduled for launch on Saturday, September 2, Aditya-L1 is India’s first space mission dedicated to studying the Sun. The spacecraft will be placed in orbit around the Lagrange point 1 (L1) of the Sun-Earth system, approximately 1.5 million km (930,000 miles) from Earth, where gravitational forces balance, minimizing fuel consumption. This mission aims to observe solar activities and their impact on space weather in real-time.
GAGANYAAN: India’s maiden crewed space mission, Gaganyaan, plans to send a three-member crew into orbit at an altitude of 400 km for a three-day mission before returning to Indian waters. The ISRO has successfully tested systems for stabilizing the crew module and ensuring a safe re-entry.
NASA-ISRO SAR (NISAR) SATELLITE: A joint project between NASA and ISRO, the NISAR satellite will orbit Earth every 12 days, providing data on ecosystem changes, ice mass, vegetation biomass, sea-level rise, groundwater, and natural hazards such as earthquakes and tsunamis.
X-RAY POLARIMETER SATELLITE (XPoSat): India is developing its first dedicated polarimetry mission to investigate cosmic X-ray sources, including neutron stars and black holes.
ISRO has not yet announced a launch date for the XPoSat mission.
PAST MISSIONS: ISRO has a history of successful missions, including Chandrayaan-1 (2008), India’s first lunar mission, which confirmed the presence of water ice on the Moon. Chandrayaan-2 (2019) aimed to study the lunar south pole but faced challenges during the lander’s descent. The Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan) was launched in 2013 and has continued to operate beyond its projected mission duration. Chandrayaan-3 is currently in progress, with the confirmation of significant lunar findings.
