India’s Space Exploration

Missions
Siva Prasad
 Aditya L1
• First Indian Mission to study sun

• The Aditya-1 mission was conceived as a 400kg class satellite carrying one payload
and was planned to launch in a 800 km low earth orbit. 

• 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. 

• Therefore, the Aditya-1 mission has now been revised to “Aditya-L1 mission” and
will be inserted in a halo orbit around the L1, which is 1.5 million km from the Earth. 

• The satellite carries additional six payloads with enhanced science scope and
objectives.
 Aditya L1
• The project is approved and the satellite will be launched during 2019 – 2020
timeframe by PSLV-XL from Sriharikota.

• Aditya-1 was meant to observe only the solar corona. 

• The outer layers of the Sun, extending to thousands of km above the disc
(photosphere) is termed as the corona. 

• It has a temperature of more than a million degree Kelvin which is much

higher than the solar disc temperature of around 6000K.

• How the corona gets heated to such high temperatures is still an

unanswered question in solar physics. 
 Aditya L1
•Aditya-L1 with additional experiments can now provide observations of
Sun's Photosphere (soft and hard X-ray), Chromosphere (UV) and corona
(Visible and NIR). 

•In addition, particle payloads will study the particle flux emanating from the
Sun and reaching the L1 orbit, and the magnetometer payload will measure
the variation in magnetic field strength at the halo orbit around L1.  

• These payloads have to be placed outside the interference from the Earth’s
magnetic field
Aditya L1
Aditya L1: Equipments on Board
• Visible Emission Line Coronagraph (VELC): To study the diagnostic
parameters of solar corona and dynamics and origin of Coronal Mass
Ejections (3 visible and 1 Infra-Red channels);Magnetic field measurement

• Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (SUIT): To image the spatially resolved

Solar Photosphere and Chromosphere in near Ultraviolet (200-400 nm) and
measure solar irradiance variations

• Aditya Solar wind Particle Experiment (ASPEX) : To study the variation of

solar wind properties as well as its distribution and spectral characteristics

• Plasma Analyser Package for Aditya (PAPA) : To understand the composition

of solar wind and its energy distribution
Aditya L1: Equipments on Board

• Solar Low Energy X-ray Spectrometer (SoLEXS) : To monitor the X-ray

flares for studying the heating mechanism of the solar corona

• High Energy L1 Orbiting X-ray Spectrometer (HEL1OS): To observe the

dynamic events in the solar corona and provide an estimate of the energy
used to accelerate the particles during the eruptive events

• Magnetometer: To measure the magnitude and nature of the

Interplanetary Magnetic Field
 Chandrayan-1
• Chandrayan-1 was launched by India in October, 2009 using the PSLV-
C11

• Objective : Prepare a three dimensional atlas (with high spatial and

altitude resolution) of the moon

• It aimed to conduct chemical and mineralogical mapping of the entire

lunar surface for distribution of mineral and chemical elements.

• It performed a high resolution remote sensing of the moon in visible, near

infra red, low enery X-rays, nad high energy X-ray regions
Electromagnetic Spectrum
 Indian instruments on Board
• TMC or the Terrain Mapping Camera is a CMOS camera used to produce a high-resolution
map of the Moon.[31] The aim of this instrument was to completely map the topography of the
Moon.

• HySI or Hyper Spectral Imager is a CMOS camera, performed mineralogical mapping in the
400–900 nm band

• LLRI or Lunar Laser Ranging Instrument determines the height of the surface topography by
sending pulses of infrared laser light towards the lunar surface and detecting the reflected
portion of that light.

• HEX is a High Energy aj/gamma x-ray spectrometer for measuring the U, Th, 210Pb, 222Rn
degassing, and other radioactive elements.

• MIP or the Moon Impact Probe developed by the ISRO, is an impact probe which consisted of
a C-band Radar altimeter for measurement of altitude of the probe, a video imaging system for
acquiring images of the lunar surface and a mass spectrometer for measuring the constituents
of the lunar atmosphere.
Instruments from other countries
• C1XS or X-ray fluorescence spectrometer mapped the abundance of Mg,
Al, Si, Ca, Ti, and Fe at the surface and monitored solar flux.

• Sub-keV Atom Reflecting Analyser mapped mineral composition using low

energy neutral atoms emitted from the surface.

• Moon Mineralogy Mapper is an imaging spectrometer designed to map

the surface mineral composition.

• SIR-2, a near infrared spectrometer also mapped the mineral composition

using an infrared grating spectrometer.
 In News

• The first map of water trapped in the uppermost layer of the moons soil
has been created using the data from Chandrayan-1

• In 2009, water and a related molecule hydroxyl were found on the Lunar
soil
 The Lunar Water Map
• The signature of water is present everywhere on the lunar surface and it is not
limited to the polar regions as previously believed

• The amount of water increases towards the poles and does not show any significant
difference among distinct terrains

• The water concentration reaches a maximum average of around 500 to 750 parts
per million in the higher latitudes; but this is less the amount present in the sands of
the driest of the deserts on earth

• The water concentration gradually decreases as one moves from poles towards
equator

• The concentration of water changes over the course of a lunar Day at latitudes lower
than 60 degrees, going from wetter in the morning and evening to dry in the noon.
 Mangalyaan
• The Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), also called Mangalyaan is a space probe orbiting
Mars since 24 September 2014.

• It was launched on 5 November 2013 by the Indian Space Research Organisation

(ISRO).

• It is India's first interplanetary mission and ISRO has also become the fourth space
agency to reach Mars, after the Soviet space program, NASA, and the European
Space Agency.

• It is the first Asian nation to reach Mars orbit, and the first nation in the world to
do so in its first attempt

• Objective: explore and observe Mars surface features, morphology, mineralogy

and the Martian atmosphere
Payload for atmospheric studies

• Lyman-Alpha Photometer (LAP) – a photometer that measures the relative

abundance of deuterium and hydrogen. Measuring the deuterium/
hydrogen ratio will allow an estimation of the amount of water loss to
outer space.

• Methane Sensor for Mars (MSM) – was meant to measure methane in the
atmosphere of Mars, if any, and map its sources with an accuracy of
parts-per-billion (ppb).[46] After entering Mars orbit it was determined that
the instrument was not capable of detecting methane
Payload for surface imaging studies

• Thermal Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (TIS) – TIS measures the thermal

emission and can be operated during both day and night. It would map
surface composition and mineralogy of Mars and also monitor
atmospheric CO2. any minerals and soil types have characteristic spectra
in TIR region. TIS can map surface composition and mineralogy of Mars

• Mars Colour Camera (MCC) – This tricolour camera gives images and
information about the surface features and composition of Martian
surface. It is useful to monitor the dynamic events and weather of Mars
like dust storms
 ASTROSAT
• ASTROSAT is India’s first dedicated multi wavelength space observatory.
This scientific satellite mission endeavours for a more detailed
understanding of our universe. 

• One of the unique features of ASTROSAT mission is that enables the

simultaneous multi-wavelength observations of various astronomical
objects with a single satellite.

• ASTROSAT observes universe in the optical, Ultraviolet, low and high

energy X-ray regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, whereas most
other scientific satellites are capable of observing a narrow range of
wavelength band
 Scientific objectives of ASTROSAT mission

• To understand high energy processes in binary star systems containing

neutron stars and black holes

• Estimate magnetic fields of neutron stars

• Study star birth regions and high energy processes in star systems lying
beyond our galaxy

• Detect new briefly bright X-ray sources in the sky

• Perform a limited deep field survey of the Universe in the Ultraviolet region
 Payloads of Astrosat
• The Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UVIT), capable of observing the sky in the Visible, Near
Ultraviolet and Far Ultraviolet regions of the electromagnetic spectrum

• Large Area X-ray Proportional Counter (LAXPC), is designed for study the variations in the
emission of X-rays from sources like X-ray binaries, Active Galactic Nuclei and other
cosmic sources.

• Soft X-ray Telescope (SXT) is designed for studying how the X-ray spectrum of 0.3-8 keV
range coming from distant celestial bodies varies with time.

• Cadmium Zinc Telluride Imager (CZTI), functioning in the X-ray region, extends the
capability of the satellite to sense X-rays of high energy in 10-100 keV range.

• Scanning Sky Monitor(SSM), is intended to scan the sky for long term monitoring of
bright X-ray sources in binary stars, and for the detection and location of sources that
become bright in X-rays for a short duration of time.