India has commenced the collection of scientific data from its first solar space observation mission, named Aditya-L1. The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) has activated the STEPS instrument, which is part of the Aditya Solar Wind Particle EXperiment (ASPEX) payload.

The STEPS instrument is responsible for measuring suprathermal ions and energetic electrons at distances greater than 50,000 km from Earth. These data will help scientists analyze the behavior of particles surrounding Earth. The term “suprathermal” refers to entities that possess more energy than comparable entities.

STEPS consists of six sensors that observe in different directions and measure suprathermal ions and energetic particles. Low and high-energy particle spectrometers are used for these measurements. The collected data will provide information on the behavior of particles surrounding Earth, especially in the presence of the Earth’s magnetic field.

The instrument was activated on September 10 at a distance greater than 50,000 km from Earth, beyond the region of the Earth’s radiation belt. After conducting the necessary health checks, data collection continued as the spacecraft moved further away from Earth.

STEPS, developed by the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) with support from the Isro Space Applications Center (SAC), is expected to continue collecting measurements during the Aditya-L1 mission’s cruise phase as it progresses towards the L1 point between the Sun and Earth. The data collected around L1 will provide information on the origin, acceleration, and anisotropy of solar wind and space weather phenomena.

Sources: Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro)

Definitions:

Suprathermal: An entity that has greater energy than that associated with a comparable entity.

Sources:

Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro)