After Chandrayaan-2, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has planned to launch its solar mission, Aditya-L1, during the first half of 2020. Aditya-L1 is meant to observe the Sun’s corona, the outer layers of the star that span thousands of kilometres.

India on July 22 successfully launched its second lunar mission Chandrayaan-2 on board its powerful rocket GSLV-MkIII-M1 from the spaceport in Sriharikota to land a rover on the celestial body and explore its unchartered south pole.

Aditya-L1, with additional experiments, can provide observations of the Sun’s photosphere, chromosphere and corona. In addition, particle payloads will study the particle flux emanating from the Sun, according to the ISRO. These payloads have to be placed outside the interference of the Earth’s magnetic field and cannot be useful in the low-earth orbit.