Who is Dr Sankarasubramanian K, the ISRO scientist heading Aditya-L1 solar mission?

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is gearing up for its first-ever solar mission, “Aditya-L1,” following the landmark Chandrayaan-3 Moon landing at the south pole. The spacecraft, which is intended to study the Sun, was lifted off on Saturday at 11.50 am from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) rocket vehicle from ISRO was used to launch the spacecraft into orbit. Senior scientist Dr Sankarasubramanian K has been chosen by ISRO to serve as the mission’s principal scientist for the Aditya-L1 mission. Also read: ISRO ready for Aditya-L1 launch: What are solar storms that the mission will study? Who is Dr Sankarasubramanian K? Dr Sankarasubramanian is a seasoned researcher with a focus on solar studies at Bengaluru’s UR Rao Satellite Centre (URSC). He earned his PhD in Physics from the Indian Institute of Astrophysics at Bangalore University. His study focuses on topics including instrumentation, optics, and the solar magnetic field, reported CNBC-TV18. He has played a variety of roles in key contributions to ISRO missions like as AstroSat, Chandrayaan-1, and Chandrayaan-2. He is currently the SAG’s (URSC’s Space Astronomy Group) leader. This team is focused on developing scientific instruments for future missions including Aditya-L1, XPoSat, and the science payload for Chandrayaan-3. In addition, Dr. Sankarasubramanian serves as the Principal Investigator on one of the Aditya-L1’s X-ray payloads. Additionally, he is the leader of the Aditya-L1 Science Working Group, a group of professionals from various Indian research organisations working together on solar research. Also read: What is Lagrange Point 1 and why is ISRO spending Rs 400 cr to send Aditya L1 there What is Aditya-L1? India’s first solar exploration mission, Aditya-L1, was created jointly by ISRO and other Indian research organisations. The aim of this expedition is to study the Sun in detail.

In Sanskrit, “Aditya” refers to the Sun, and “L1” designates Lagrange Point 1, a critical location in the Sun-Earth system. Over 1.5 million kilometres, or one-100th of the distance between Earth and the Sun, separate it from us. “For common understanding, L1 is a location in space where the gravitational forces of two celestial bodies, such as the Sun and Earth, are in equilibrium. This allows an object placed there to remain relatively stable with respect to both celestial bodies,” ISRO explained. Also read: ISRO gearing up for Aditya-L1 mission launch: Why studying the Sun matters What are the objectives? The spacecraft will, according to ISRO, be equipped with cutting-edge capabilities for studying the photosphere, chromosphere, and corona, among other layers of the Sun. For this, electromagnetic and particle detectors will be used. The remaining three payloads will closely analyse particles and fields at this Lagrange point to further our understanding of solar phenomena while the remaining four payloads will directly watch the Sun from the singular vantage point of L1. It will take the spacecraft four months to get to the Sun and Earth’s initial Lagrange point (L-1), which will allow it to observe the star of our solar system without being eclipsed.

The next mission is of utmost importance since it aims to reveal the dynamic processes that make up the Sun and throw light on its properties. Even certain long-standing questions in solar physics and heliophysics, which study the complex interactions between the Sun and the entire solar system, may be answered by this research. What happens after the launch? Aditya-L1 will remain in Earth-bound orbit for 16 days after today’s launch, during which time it will perform five manoeuvres to increase its velocity. ISRO said, “Subsequently, Aditya-L1 undergoes a Trans-Lagrangian1 Insertion (TLI) manoeuvre, marking the beginning of its 110-day trajectory to the destination around the L1 Lagrange point. Upon arrival at the L1 point, another manoeuvre binds Aditya-L1 to an orbit around L1, a balanced gravitational location between the Earth and the Sun.” The satellite spends the duration of its mission orbiting around L1 in an erratic orbit that is roughly perpendicular to the line connecting the Earth and the Sun. Aditya-L1 is positioned strategically at the L1 Lagrange point so that it may keep a steady, uninterrupted view of the Sun. The gravitational stability of the L1 point also reduces the frequency of orbital maintenance activities, increasing the operational effectiveness of the satellite. With inputs from agencies