Aditya-L1 mission: ISRO achieves historic success, snaps amazing solar flare

Aditya-L1 mission, ISRO's first solar exploration venture, has swiftly made a groundbreaking discovery even before reaching its designated parking space.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) disclosed on November 7th that Aditya-L1's High Energy L1 Orbiting X-ray Spectrometer (HEL1OS) captured the impulsive phase of a solar flare in high-energy X-rays.

A solar flare of high-energy emissions occurred on October 29, just under two months after the Aditya-L1 mission launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre.

Aditya-L1 is strategically positioned at the Sun-Earth Lagrange Point-1 (L1), maintaining stability about 1 million miles from Earth. This location enables prolonged observation without significant fuel consumption.

HEL1OS, one of Aditya-L1's instruments, specialises in studying X-ray emissions from solar flares. This instrument aims to unravel the connection between a solar flare's high-energy emissions and the particles released during these events.

HEL1OS commenced its testing phase on October 27. Just two days later, between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. EDT, it recorded a significant burst of X-ray activity, signalling the occurrence of a solar flare.

The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-18 (GOES-18) independently observed a surge in X-rays at the same time, corroborating Aditya-L1's findings.

Despite its success, HEL1OS is still undergoing fine-tuning and calibration. Scientists are diligently working to ensure the instrument's optimal functionality.

The discovery of the first high-energy solar flare by Aditya-L1 marks a significant stride in solar exploration, shedding light on the intricate dynamics of solar phenomena.

As Aditya-L1 continues its mission, the scientific community eagerly anticipates more revelations and insights into the mysteries of the sun, with the hope that these findings will deepen our understanding of space weather and its potential impacts on Earth.