India’s solar observatory mission has moved into an important new stage as scientific exploration takes centre stage.
ISRO has opened the first Announcement of Opportunity cycle for Aditya L1, inviting scientists to submit research proposals using data from the mission. This marks the transition from spacecraft deployment to active scientific discovery and opens the mission to the wider research community.
Aditya L1 is India’s first dedicated solar observatory. It studies the Sun from the Sun–Earth Lagrange Point L1, a location that allows continuous and uninterrupted observation of solar activity. The mission focuses on solar flares, coronal heating, and solar winds. These solar phenomena directly affect Earth’s space environment and understanding them helps improve space weather predictions.
With the release of the first formal science call, ISRO is allowing researchers to request access to Aditya L1 observations. More than 23 TB of mission data has already been made public. Early observations have resulted in several scientific papers, and the new proposal driven approach will now guide future observation planning.
The main aim of the Announcement of Opportunity cycle is to maximise scientific output from the mission. Scientists can propose focused studies using data from Aditya L1 instruments. These proposals may request specific datasets or observation time to address key questions in solar physics.
The research focus includes understanding the Sun’s atmosphere, magnetic fields, and the influence of solar activity on interplanetary space. Another important objective is strengthening India’s capability to forecast space weather events.
This step marks Aditya L1’s shift towards open science. Independent researchers can now play a direct role in shaping the mission’s scientific outcomes. The approach follows global best practices used by major space agencies and aligns Aditya L1 with international solar missions such as SOHO and SDO.
The first scientific data from Aditya L1 was formally released on 6 January 2025, marking 1 year since the spacecraft entered its operational halo orbit. Improved solar observations are expected to enhance protection for satellites, astronauts, and power infrastructure.
With the first research call now open, Aditya L1 is set to guide solar science research for years to come, placing India firmly on the global heliophysics map.
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