Why in news?  The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is planning to launch the Aditya-L1 mission by mid of this year.

Highlights

• The Aditya-L1 mission will be launched by ISRO to the L1 orbit (which is the first Lagrangian point of the Sun-Earth system).
• L1 orbit allows Aditya-L1 to look at the Sun continuously.
• It has seven payloads, of which the primary payload is the VELC, designed and fabricated by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bengaluru.

About Aditya-L1

• Aditya L-1 is first dedicated Indian mission and planned coronagraphy spacecraft to study solar atmosphere.
• Currently being designed and developed by ISRO and various other Indian research institutes.
• It will be inserted in a halo orbit around the L1 point between Earth and Sun that will study solar atmosphere, solar magnetic storms and its impact on environment around Earth.
• A satellite placed in the halo orbit around the L1 point has the major advantage of continuously viewing the Sun without any occultation/eclipses

What is Visible Emission Line Coronagraph (VELC)?

• The coronagraph creates an artificial total solar eclipse in space by blocking the sunlight by an occultor.
• The objectives are to study the diagnostic parameters of solar corona and dynamics and origin of coronal mass ejections (using three visible and one infra-red channels) magnetic field measurements of the solar corona down to tens of Gauss.
• Additional objectives are to determine reason for the solar atmosphere hotness, and how the changes in the Sun can affect space weather and Earth’s climate.