News World-News

India successfully launches its first mission to the Sun

India successfully launches its first mission to the Sun
[Photo: BBC News]

India has launched its first observation mission to the Sun, just days after the country made history by becoming the first to land near the Moon's south pole.

Aditya-L1 lifted off from the launch pad at Sriharikota yesterday.

It will travel 1.5million km (932,000 miles) from the Earth and India's space agency says it will take four months to travel that far.

India's first space-based mission to study the solar system's biggest object is named after Surya - the Hindu god of Sun who is also known as Aditya.

And L1 stands for Lagrange point 1 - the exact place between Sun and Earth where the Indian spacecraft is heading.

According to the European Space Agency, a Lagrange point is a spot where the gravitational forces of two large objects - such as the Sun and the Earth - cancel each other out, allowing a spacecraft to "hover".

Once Aditya-L1 reaches this "parking spot", it would be able to orbit the Sun at the same rate as the Earth. This also means the satellite will require very little fuel to operate.

BBC

Stay tuned for the latest news on our radio stations

CFL radio frequencies
LIVE SCORES
West Tigers vs Warriors 10:00PM
Dolphins vs Sharks 5:00PM
Bulldogs vs Raiders 7:30PM
Maroons vs Blues 10:05PM
Portugal 0–1 Spain Full Time
USA 1–4 Belgium Full Time
Drua Women vs Reds 1:05pm
Western Force vs Waratahs 6:05pm
New Zealand vs Italy 5:10pm
Australia vs France 7:40pm
Japan vs Ireland 10:10pm