Sriharikota: India’s Aditya-L1 solar mission spacecraft has initiated the collection of crucial scientific data to aid scientists in analyzing particles surrounding Earth, as confirmed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Monday.
The spacecraft, serving as India’s premier solar observatory, has successfully activated its sensors, which have now begun the measurement of ions and electrons at distances exceeding 50,000 kilometers from Earth’s surface. ISRO shared this significant development in a post on their official platform.
The sensors responsible for this data collection are part of the Supra Thermal & Energetic Particle Spectrometer instrument, abbreviated as STEPS, and form an integral component of the Aditya Solar Wind Particle Experiment (ASPEX) payload of the Aditya L1 mission. STEPS has six sensors, each oriented in different directions, designed to measure supra-thermal and energetic ions ranging from 20 keV/nucleon to 5 MeV/nucleon. Additionally, the instrument is proficient in detecting electrons exceeding the energy threshold of 1 MeV.
The data gathered by STEPS will be instrumental in advancing scientific understanding of the space environment surrounding Earth, particularly in terms of particles and their behavior at varying distances from our planet. This mission’s significance extends beyond space exploration, as it will contribute valuable insights that have implications for various scientific disciplines.
As Aditya-L1’s journey unfolds, its mission to explore the Sun and the space environment becomes increasingly promising, offering a wealth of knowledge and opportunities for scientific exploration.