The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) shared on Monday that Aditya-L1 has begun the collection of scientific data.
“The sensors of the STEPS instrument have begun measuring supra-thermal and energetic ions and electrons at distances greater than 50,000 km from Earth,” ISRO said in a post on X. This data reportedly helps scientists analyse the behaviour of particles surrounding Earth, especially in the presence of the magnetic field of Earth.
According to ISRO, STEPS, or Supra Thermal & Energetic Particle Spectrometer, has six sensors that look in different directions. It can study tiny particles and even electrons with lots of energy.
It was first activated on September 10, when it was more than 50,000 kilometres away from Earth. To give you an idea, that's far from Earth's protective zone. After some checks to ensure everything was working, it kept collecting data until it moved farther away.
“These STEPS measurements will persist during the cruise phase of the Aditya-L1 mission as it progresses toward the Sun-Earth L1 point. They will continue once the spacecraft is positioned in its intended orbit. Data collected around L1 would provide insights into the origin, acceleration, and anisotropy of solar wind and space weather phenomena,” ISRO said.
The Aditya-L1 spacecraft was successfully launched on September 2 by ISRO's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C57) in Sriharikota. Following the accomplishment of the Chandrayaan-3 mission, this mission marks a critical milestone in India's space exploration adventure.
