Aditya (space craft)
Encyclopedia
Aditya, is a space craft whose mission is to study the Sun
. It was conceptualised by the Advisory Committee for Space Research in January 2008. It has been designed and will be built and launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation
(ISRO). ISRO Chairman G. Madhavan Nair
announced the approval of this mission on 10 November 2008.
.
It will be a small 100 kilograms (220 lb) satellite
projected to cost about , and likely to be placed into a near earth orbit of 600 km. The spacecraft's mission will be to study the fundamental problems of coronal heating, and other phenomena that take place in the Earth's magnetosphere
.
, Indian Institute of Astrophysics
, Radio Astronomy Centre, National Centre for Radio Astrophysics
, and several universities. was constituted to work out the optimum configuration for the coronagraph, among other parameters. The design of solar coronograph has been completed by Indian Institute of Astrophysics.
ISRO is working on development of sensors and thermal structures of the satellite after which a prototype of the satellite is expected to be built by 2011.
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...
. It was conceptualised by the Advisory Committee for Space Research in January 2008. It has been designed and will be built and launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation
Indian Space Research Organisation
The Indian Space Research Organisation is an independent Indian governmental agency established in 1969 for the research and development of vehicles and activities for the exploration of space within and outside of Earth’s atmosphere. Headquartered in Bangalore...
(ISRO). ISRO Chairman G. Madhavan Nair
G. Madhavan Nair
G. Madhavan Nair is the former Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation and Secretary to the Department of Space, Government of India since September 2003. He is also the Chairman, Space Commission and acts as the Chairman of Governing Body of the Antrix Corporation, Bangalore...
announced the approval of this mission on 10 November 2008.
Spacecraft
Aditya is proposed to be sent to space by 2012 to study the solar corona. This part of the Sun has temperatures of over one million degrees, with raging solar winds that reach a velocity of up to 1000 km a second. The satellite will carry as its payload an advanced solar coronagraphCoronagraph
A coronagraph is a telescopic attachment designed to block out the direct light from a star so that nearby objects – which otherwise would be hidden in the star's bright glare – can be resolved...
.
It will be a small 100 kilograms (220 lb) satellite
Satellite
In the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavour. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon....
projected to cost about , and likely to be placed into a near earth orbit of 600 km. The spacecraft's mission will be to study the fundamental problems of coronal heating, and other phenomena that take place in the Earth's magnetosphere
Magnetosphere
A magnetosphere is formed when a stream of charged particles, such as the solar wind, interacts with and is deflected by the intrinsic magnetic field of a planet or similar body. Earth is surrounded by a magnetosphere, as are the other planets with intrinsic magnetic fields: Mercury, Jupiter,...
.
Objectives
- to study the Coronal Mass Ejection (CME)
- to study the crucial physical parameters for space weather such as the coronal magnetic field structures, evolution of the coronal magnetic field etc.
Progress
This is one of the first scheduled projects in a road map formulated by the Advisory Committee for Space Research..A working group of individuals from the ISRO Satellite Centre, Udaipur Solar ObservatoryUdaipur Solar Observatory
The Udaipur Solar Observatory is in Udaipur, Rajasthan in India on an island in the Fateh Sagar Lake. The sky conditions at Udaipur are quite favourable for solar observations. Since the observatory is situated amidst a large mass of water, air turbulence which occurs due to ground heating by...
, Indian Institute of Astrophysics
Indian Institute of Astrophysics
The Indian Institute of Astrophysics , with its headquarters in Bangalore , India, is a premier national institute of India for the study of and research into topics pertaining to astronomy, astrophysics and related subjects....
, Radio Astronomy Centre, National Centre for Radio Astrophysics
National Centre for Radio Astrophysics
India's National Centre for Radio Astrophysics , located on the Pune University Campus, is part of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. NCRA carries out research in the specialized field of Radio Astronomy and Radio instrumentation...
, and several universities. was constituted to work out the optimum configuration for the coronagraph, among other parameters. The design of solar coronograph has been completed by Indian Institute of Astrophysics.
ISRO is working on development of sensors and thermal structures of the satellite after which a prototype of the satellite is expected to be built by 2011.