India launches spacecraft to study the sun after successful landing near the moon's south pole
India has launched its first space mission to study the sun, less than two weeks after a successful uncrewed landing near the south pole region of the moon
By ASHOK SHARMA
Published - Sep 02, 2023, 05:53 PM ET
Last Updated - Sep 04, 2023, 02:35 PM EDT
NEW DELHI (AP) — India launched its first space mission to study the sun on Saturday, less than two weeks after a successful uncrewed landing near the south polar region of the moon.
The Aditya-L1 spacecraft took off on board a satellite launch vehicle from the Sriharikota space center in southern India on a quest to study the sun from a point about 1.5 million kilometers (930,000 miles) from Earth. The point, known as L1, affords an uninterrupted view of the sun.
The spacecraft is equipped with seven payloads to study the sun’s corona, chromosphere, photosphere and solar wind, the Indian Space Research Organization said.
After over an hour, the ISRO said the launch was “accomplished successfully.”
