ISRO gearing up for Sun mission

Chennai The Indian space agency is gearing up for another interplanetary mission to the Sun slated for September 2 morning.

According to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the preparations for the Aditya-L1 mission is progressing well.

“The Launch Rehearsal – Vehicle (rocket) Internal Checks are completed,” ISRO in a post on the social media platform X said on Tuesday.

India on August 23 reached the Moon with its lander safely landing on the lunar soil in a text book style. Later, the rover rolled down and started doing experiments.

The Aditya-L1 – named after the Sun God in Hindu mythology - will be carried by the Indian rocket Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle-XL variant (PSLV-XL). The rocket will blast off at 11.50 a.m., from the Sriharikota rocket port in Andhra Pradesh, the ISRO said.

Initially, Aditya-L1 will be ejected in a low earth orbit (LEO). Then the orbit will be elliptical. As the spacecraft travels towards L1, it will exit the earth’s gravitational Sphere of Influence (SOI).