New Delhi

22 July 2019 17:47 IST

ISRO’s solar mission Aditya-L1 is meant to observe the Sun’s corona, which are the outer layers of the star that span thousands of kilometres.

After Chandrayaan-2, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has planned to launch its solar mission, Aditya-L1, during the first half of 2020.

Aditya-L1 is meant to observe the Sun’s corona, the outer layers of the star that span thousands of kilometres.

“How the corona gets heated to such high temperatures is still an unanswered question in solar physics,” the ISRO stated on its website while sharing information about the mission.

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India on July 22 successfully launched its second lunar mission Chandrayaan-2 on board its powerful rocket GSLV-MkIII-M1 from the spaceport in Sriharikota to land a rover on the celestial body and explore its unchartered south pole.

In a news conference last month, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chief K. Sivan had said, “It is 1.5 million kilometres from the Earth. It will always look at the Sun and give analysis of the corona because it has a major impact on climate change.”

He said the mission is planned to be launched in the first half of 2020.

Another interplanetary mission to Venus will be launched in the next 2-3 years, according to Mr. Sivan, who is also the secretary, Department of Space.

Aditya-L1, with additional experiments, can provide observations of the Sun’s photosphere, chromosphere and corona.

In addition, particle payloads will study the particle flux emanating from the Sun, according to the ISRO. These payloads have to be placed outside the interference of the Earth’s magnetic field and cannot be useful in the low-earth orbit.