ISRO seeks minds to decode the Sun through Aditya L1 mission data

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has opened a fresh opportunity for scientists to tap into data from its solar mission, inviting proposals from Indian researchers to study observations generated by the Aditya-L1 spacecraft.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the space agency said it is seeking participation from the country’s solar physics community to make use of mission data and contribute to ongoing scientific analysis. This marks the second formal “Announcement of Opportunity” (AO) after the first call was issued in January.

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“At present, there are over 27 TB of data in the public domain, and several important scientific results have been published in international peer-reviewed journals. To further maximise the scientific return from this unique mission, the ISRO has released the second Announcement of Opportunity (AO) inviting proposals from the Indian solar physics community for Aditya-L1 observation time,” the ISRO said in a statement.

The proposals are open to researchers based at Indian institutions, including universities, colleges, and research organisations. Applicants are expected to have a background in solar science and must submit their proposals as principal investigators, supported by clear scientific objectives along with technical justification for their proposed studies.

According to ISRO, the approved observation proposals under this second cycle will be carried out between July and September.

Launched in September 2023, Aditya-L1 reached its operational halo orbit around the Sun-Earth Lagrangian Point 1 (L1) in January 2024. Positioned about 1.5 million kilometres from Earth, the L1 location allows the spacecraft to maintain continuous, uninterrupted views of the Sun without being affected by eclipses or occultation.

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The mission is equipped with seven scientific instruments, comprising four remote sensing payloads and three in-situ instruments. The remote sensing payloads are designed to study different layers of the Sun, including the photosphere, chromosphere, and corona, across multiple wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation.

"The remote sensing instruments observe different layers of the Sun, including the photosphere, chromosphere, and corona, using various wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation," ISRO said.

The in-situ instruments, which include particle detectors and magnetometers, are aimed at measuring the surrounding space environment at the L1 point, capturing data on solar particles and magnetic fields in the region.