Advanced sensors on the payload aboard India’s first solar mission Aditya-L1 have detected the impact of a coronal mass ejection (CME). According to ISRO, the coronal mass ejection (CME) on December 15, 2023, was a single event. PAPA observations during this period showed a sudden increase in total electron and ion counts.
Plasma analyzer package for Aditya (PAPA)
- It is an energy and mass analyzer.
- It is designed for in-situ measurements of solar wind electrons and ions in the low energy range.
- Papa has been developed by the Space Physics Lab and Avionics Unit of VSSC/ISRO.
It has two sensors
- Solar Wind Electron Energy Probe (SWEEP, measures electrons in the energy range of 10 eV to 3 keV)
- Solar Wind Ion Composition Analyst (SWICAR, measuring ions in the energy range of 10 eV to 25 keV and mass range of 1-60 amu).
Data collected by PAPA revealed the occurrence of Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) events during December 15, 2023 and February 10-11, 2024. The PAPA payload was launched by Vikram Sarabhai Space Center (VSSC)/ISRO’s Space The information provided by the PAPA payload is important for its effectiveness in monitoring space weather conditions and detecting and analyzing solar events.
Aditya-L 1
- Aditya-L1 was launched by ISRO on September 2 by PSLV-C57 rocket.
- To develop our understanding of solar phenomena.
- The Aditya-L1 spacecraft carries 7 payloads to study the Sun, including four to observe light from the Sun and the remaining three to measure in-situ parameters of the plasma and magnetic field.