India to launch maiden mission to Sun in 2019: space official
"Aditya-L1, India's maiden mission to the Sun, will be launched in 2019. The main aim of the mission will be to resolve some of the long-standing queries in solar physics," head of the state-owned Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) A.S. Kiran Kumar told media Tuesday.
Aditya-L1, which will be launched through the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) from the southern spaceport of Sriharikota, will carry six payloads.
According to ISRO, the satellite will be launched into the halo orbit around the Lagrangian point 1 (L1) of the Sun-Earth system, which will enable the continuous viewing of the Sun without any occultation or eclipses.
India had earlier successfully launched its maiden mission to the Moon and Mars. And in February this year, India created history by successfully launching 104 satellites on a single mission, overtaking the previous record of 37 satellites launched by Russia in 2014.
Over the past two decades, India has become a key player in the lucrative commercial space market offering a low-cost alternative.