After India’s successful moon landing two weeks ago, the country firmly established itself as one of the world’s leading space nations. This weekend marked another milestone for India’s space endeavors, as it set its sights on the sun.
On Saturday, the spacecraft Aditya-L1 lifted off from the Indian spaceport on Sriharikota Island. Aditya-L1 is now headed towards the Lagrange Point L1, where it’s planned to enter orbit around the sun. This marks India’s first space mission to the sun. Aboard Aditya-L1 are seven instruments designed to observe the sun, particles from solar winds, and magnetic fields passing through Lagrange Point L1.
In the video above, you can see how Aditya-L1 departed from Earth. The spacecraft is expected to reach L1 in about four months.
