Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh - September 1st, 2023: The countdown has officially begun for India's inaugural solar mission, Aditya L1, scheduled to launch aboard the PSLV rocket, as announced by ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization).
This Sun observatory mission is set to lift off from Sriharikota Spaceport at precisely 11:50 AM on Saturday, marking a significant milestone following India's successful Chandrayaan-3 moon exploration mission.
ISRO issued an update on X, formerly known as Twitter, stating, "The countdown for PSLV-C57/Aditya-L1 Mission leading to the launch at 11:50 AM IST on September 2, 2023, has commenced." The countdown, lasting 23 hours and 40 minutes, officially started at 12:10 PM.
ISRO Chairman S. Somanath previously mentioned that the mission is projected to take 125 days to reach its designated position at the Sun-Earth Lagrangian point, L1, located approximately 1.5 million kilometers from Earth.
Aditya-L1 has been meticulously designed for remote observations of the solar corona and in situ studies of the solar wind at this unique vantage point. This mission signifies a significant achievement as it represents India's very first dedicated space mission for solar observations, undertaken by the space agency headquartered in Bengaluru.
