New Delhi, Nov 22: After the successful missions to the Moon and Mars, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is now looking to explore the intriguing details of the Sun. Aditya-L1, ISRO’s maiden mission to the Sun, will be launched in 2019. Also Read - ISRO Launches Border Surveillance Satellite RISAT-2BR1 From Sriharikota

Talking to reporters on the sidelines of a seminar, ISRO chairman AS Kiran Kumar said,”Aditya-L1, India’s maiden mission to the Sun, will be launched in 2019.” The main aim of the mission will to be resolve some of the long-standing queries in solar physics. “Missions to Venus, asteroid and a second mission to the Mars are in the study phase,” he added. Also Read - ISRO prepares to launch Chandrayaan-3 mission by November 2020: Report

“The main purpose is to do coronal and near UV studies. It will help us answer questions like how the corona gets so hot?” an ISRO official, who refused to be named, told the media. Also Read - Mission Mangal Box Office Collection Day 29: Vidya Balan-Akshay Kumar Starrer Enters Rs 200 Crore Club

Aditya-L1, which will carry six payloads, will be launched from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh from the trusted the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). (Also Read: ‘Mangalyaan’ Mars mission completes six months, life extended by six months more: ISRO)

According to details available on ISRO’s website, the satellite will be launched into the halo orbit around the Lagrangian point 1 (L1) of the Sun-Earth system. A satellite placed in the halo orbit around the Lagrangian point 1 (L1) of the Sun-Earth system has the major advantage of continuously viewing the Sun without any occultation/eclipses, it added.

ISRO NOT INTO SPACE TOURISM

ISRO chief AS Kiran Kumar underlined that the agency is not into space for tourism as it is yet to fully harness the capabilities of space technology for India, but added that private players can participate in the rapidly growing global space adventure market. (Also Read: ISRO to Launch 30 Satellites in One go in December This Year)

Noting that India currently has only 42 satellites in space, AS Kumar said that ISRO was trying to increase the number of launches per year to meet the country’s increasing demands

“The Department of Space does not look at tourism as an activity. We still have not provided the capabilities from the space technology the country is looking for,” he said.