Aditya L1: Another milestone achieved as solar wind ion spectrometer becomes operational
PTC News Desk: The Solar Wind Ion Spectrometer (SWIS), the second instrument in the Aditya Solar Wind Particle Experiment (ASPEX) of India's maiden solar mission, Aditya L1, became operational on Saturday.
"The Solar Wind Ion Spectrometer (SWIS), the second instrument in the Aditya Solar Wind Particle Experiment (ASPEX) payload is operational. The histogram illustrates the energy variations in proton and alpha particle counts captured by SWIS over 2-days," ISRO said.
According to an ISRO statement, the Aditya Solar Wind Particle Experiment (ASPEX) payload onboard India's Aditya-L1 satellite is operating normally.
The Solar Wind Ion Spectrometer (SWIS) and the STEPS (SupraThermal and Energetic Particle Spectrometer) are two cutting-edge instruments that makeup ASPEX.
The STEPS instrument became operational on September 10. According to the statement, the SWIS instrument was activated on November 2, 2023, and has performed smoothly.
ISRO also stated that the ASPEX has begun measuring solar wind ions.
"SWIS, utilizing two sensor units with a remarkable 360° field of view each, operates in planes perpendicular to one another. The instrument has successfully measured solar wind ions, primarily protons and alpha particles," the statement added.
"A sample energy histogram acquired from one of the sensors over two days in November 2023 illustrates variations in proton (H ) and alpha particle (doubly ionized helium, He2 ) counts. These variations were recorded with nominal integration time, providing a comprehensive snapshot of solar wind behaviour."
According to ISRO, the directional capabilities of SWIS allow for precise measurements of solar wind protons and alphas, which contribute significantly to answering long-standing questions about solar wind properties, underlying processes, and their impact on Earth.
- With inputs from agencies
