From the moon to the sun: India launches next space mission

Aditya-L1 will study coronal mass ejections, a periodic phenomenon that sees huge discharges of plasma and magnetic energy from the sun’s atmosphere

India has been steadily matching the achievements of established spacefaring powers at a fraction of their cost

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India’s Aditya-L1 spacecraft travels after it was launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, India, on Saturday. Photo: AP

Published: 5:30pm, 2 Sep 2023

The latest mission in India’s ambitious space programme blasted off on Saturday on a voyage towards the centre of the solar system, a week after the country’s successful unmanned moon landing.

Aditya-L1 launched shortly before midday, with a live broadcast showing hundreds of spectators cheering wildly against the deafening noise of the rocket’s ascent.

“Launch successful, all normal,” an Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) official announced from mission control as the vessel made its way to the upper reaches of the Earth’s atmosphere.

The mission is carrying scientific instruments to observe the Sun’s outermost layers in a four-month journey.

The Aditya-L1 spacecraft lifts off on board a satellite launch vehicle from the space centre in Sriharikota, India, on Saturday. Photo: Indian Space Research Organisation via AP

The United States and the European Space Agency (ESA) have sent numerous probes to the centre of the solar system, beginning with NASA’s Pioneer programme in the 1960s.