Updated on Sept 2, 1.08 p.m.

ISRO informed that the vehicle has placed the satellite precisely in its intended orbit and has begun its journey to the destination of the Sun-Earth L1 point.

PSLV-C57/Aditya-L1 Mission:

The launch of Aditya-L1 by PSLV-C57 is accomplished successfully.

The vehicle has placed the satellite precisely into its intended orbit.

India’s first solar observatory has begun its journey to the destination of Sun-Earth L1 point.

— ISRO (@isro) September 2, 2023

Updated on Sept 2, 12:16 p.m.

Aditya L1 placed around Lagrange Point 1. What is Lagrange Point 1?

Lagrangian points are where gravitational forces acting between two objects balance each other in such a way that the spacecraft can 'hover' for a longer period of time. 

It is named after Joseph Louis Lagrange, who discovered the points in 1972.

The L1 point is considered the most significant of the Lagrangian points. NASA has already sent 'SOHO' to the L1 point and famous James Webb Telescope is placed on L2 point.

Updated on Sept 2, 11:50 a.m.

Successful liftoff of PSLV-C57.

Updated on Sept 2, 11:36 a.m.

Automatic launch sequence initiated for PSLV-C57 rocket.

Updated on Sept 2, 11:32 a.m.

Speaking on India's first solar mission, former ISRO Chairman G. Madhavan reportedly said, "This mission is very important. Aditya L-1 will be placed around Lagrangian Point 1, where the gravitational force of Earth and the Sun virtually cancels and with minimum fuel, we can maintain spacecraft there. 

He reportedly added, "In addition, 24/7 observation is possible. Seven instruments have been put onboard the spacecraft. The data from this mission will help explain various phenomena taking place in the atmosphere, climate change studies etc."

Updated on Sept 2, 11:24 a.m.

Quick facts you need to know:

- Aditya-L1 will stay approximately 1.5 million km away from Earth, directed towards the Sun, which is about 1% of the Earth-Sun distance. 

- It will study the outer atmosphere of the Sun. 

- It will neither land on the Sun nor approach the Sun any closer.

After the iconic victory on the moon, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will launch India’s first mission to study the sun on Sept 2. 

Rockets are ready

ISRO chief S Somanath reportedly said on Aug 31, “We are just getting ready for the launch. The rocket and satellite are ready, and we have completed the rehearsal for the launch. Tomorrow (Sept 1) we have to start the countdown for the launch the day after tomorrow (Sept 2).”

Aditya-L1 mission launch date and time

ISRO informed on social media that the mission is scheduled for liftoff on Sept 2 at 11:50 a.m. from the Sriharikota spaceport. On Aug 30, ISRO also said that the preparations for the launch are progressing and that the launch rehearsal and vehicle internal checks were completed.

At what cost is the Aditya L-1 made?

The budget of the Aditya L-1 mission is around ₹400 crore. Its production started in Dec 2019.

Things to know about Aditya L1

Aditya L1 will use a PSLV-C57 rocket for its launch. The mission carries seven specialised payloads designed to study the Sun, including the photosphere, chromosphere, and corona (the outermost portion of the Sun's atmosphere), across various wavelengths.

The instruments of Aditya-L1 are tuned to observe the solar atmosphere, mainly the chromosphere and corona, using electromagnetic particle and magnetic field detectors.

Aditya L1 carries

- An ultraviolet imager

- Two X-ray spectrometers

- Four in-situ instruments to measure plasma parameters

How will ISRO image the Sun?

The primary payload of Aditya L1 is the Visible Emission Line Coronagraph (VELC). 

ISRO made special mirrors and detectors for the VELC, which will image the Sun’s atmosphere, the corona, closer to the Sun than ever before, at high resolution and time cadence.

Moreover, the payload has 40 different optical elements of high precision and will be kept at a temperature of 22°C in space.

Earlier on Aug 14, ISRO announced mission Aditya-L1, the first space-based Indian observatory to study the Sun, and said that it is getting ready for the launch.

Which countries have done Solar missions previously?

United States: US space agency NASA has several active solar missions.

NASA’s much-applauded Parker Solar Probe, launched in 2018, was the first-ever mission to “touch” the Sun.

Japan: Hinode (SOLAR-B) was launched in 2016 by Japan’s JAXA space agency in collaboration with the US and the UK.

Europe: As early as 1990, the ESA launched the ‘Ulysses’ space probe to study the environment of space above and below the poles of the Sun.

ESA also launched SOHO (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory) in 1995, on a joint mission with NASA to study the Sun’s interior, outer atmosphere, and solar wind.

China: China also launched the Advanced Space-based Solar Observatory (ASO-S) with the National Space Science Centre, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), in 2022.

For more such updates and news on the go, follow us on

Instagram | YouTube | Facebook