ISRO's First Solar Observatory in Space: Aditya-L1 Mission

The dynamic and magnetically coupled atmosphere of the Sun presents several puzzling physical phenomena of great importance. For example, the existence of hotter chromosphere and corona above the photosphere. Due to these high-temperature layers, Sun radiates in UV and X-rays, which play a crucial role in the dynamics of the Earth's atmosphere. Similarly, the occurrence of highly energetic solar eruptions such as flares and coronal mass ejections, which has direct consequences on space weather and geo-space climate, has proven to be highly challenging to comprehend. The Aditya-L1 mission of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) will help us study the dynamic coupling of the solar atmosphere as well as to measure and monitor the spatially resolved solar spectral irradiance in the near-ultraviolet band, which is central to the Earth's climate. The spacecraft will be located at the first Lagrangian Point and carry seven payloads -- four remote-sensing and three in-situ. Combining all the instruments, Aditya-L1 shall cover the wavelength range from Hard X-rays to infrared for remote sensing. Out of three in-situ payloads, two will provide measurements of the charged particles. The third is a magnetometer to assess the interplanetary magnetic field. I shall discuss the salient features of the experiments onboard Aditya-L1 mission.