India's Solar Mission Aditya L1 Starts Collecting Data

The Aditya L1 spacecraft's Supra Thermal & Energetic Particle Spectrometer (STEPS) instrument has been set on by the Indian Space Research Organisation. The Aditya L1 probe has started collecting scientific data prior to starting its voyage to Lagrange Point 1, which is an important breakthrough.

The Supra Thermal & Energetic Particle Spectrometer (STEPS) instrument was turned on by the Indian Space Research Organisation, and data acquisition began. The Aditya Solar Wind Particle EXperiment (ASPEX) payload, which aims to understand solar and planetary dynamics, includes the STEPS instrument.

It assesses the environment of the Earth's atmosphere's electrons and suprathermal and energetic ions. Low- and high-energy particle spectrometers are used to make these observations. Scientists will be able to evaluate the behaviour of the particles that encircle the Earth, especially when the Earth's magnetic field is present, thanks to the data that was gathered during Earth's orbits.

At a distance of more than 50,000 kilometres from Earth, the STEPS instrument was activated on September 10. This distance, which is more than eight times the radius of the Earth, puts it well outside of the radiation belt region. Data collecting continued until the spacecraft had travelled more than 50,000 kilometres from Earth after the essential instrument health checks were finished.

Every STEPS component is functioning normally. Measurements taken by one of the devices and represented in a figure show changes in the energetic particle environment within the Earth's magnetosphere. 

These STEPS observations will continue throughout the cruise phase of the mission when Aditya-L1 approaches the Sun-Earth L1 point. According to an ISRO statement, they will continue until the spacecraft is in its final orbit.

Data collected around L1 may aid in clarifying the origin, acceleration, and anisotropy of solar wind and space weather occurrences.