India’s Mission To The Sun: ISRO, Astrophysics Institute Collaborate To Send Coronagraph Aboard Aditya-L1 In 2020

The Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), in association with Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), would launch India's first mission to study the chemical composition of Sun’s corona and various heat-generating reactions around it in the year 2020, reports The Tribune.

India will launch a coronagraph aboard Aditya-L1 satellite. A laboratory model of the project was on display at an expo being organised by Indian Science Congress at Lovely Professional University. The coronagraph in titanium, weighing 175 kg, will set out on a 1.5 million-km journey from the Earth, said Amit Kumar from IIA.

The coronagraph would have seven types of optical assemblies and includes deflectors and cameras which will create a spectrum that will help to explore the chemicals in the corona. It will be positioned to face the Sun in such a way that an artificial eclipse gets created and only light from corona enters.

The scientists at IIA are also reportedly working on a “30-metre telescope” (equal to a 100-foot mirror) in collaboration with the US, Canada, China and Japan. The telescope would have 156 times more collecting area than the Hubble Space Telescope, producing 12 times sharper image.

India has contributed Rs 1,500 crore to the project, in addition to providing 92 mirrors to be used in it.