Approach:

Introduction: Briefly introduce Aditya-L1 mission.

Body: Describe the mission’s components with a timeline for completion. State the significance of the Aditya-L1 mission for India. Mention a few criticisms also.

Conclusion: Conclude by providing a way forward for India’s space journey.

Answer:

The Aditya-L1 mission is a scientific satellite mission by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) with the primary goal being to observe the sun's corona and its influence on the Earth's climate. Overall it will observe the sun from Lagrangian point L1.

It will carry a suite of scientific instruments to explore various aspects of the sun, including its photosphere, chromosphere, and corona.

Some of these are:

• a coronagraph to study the sun's corona.
• a magnetograph to study the sun's magnetic field.
• a solar spectropolarimeter to study the sun's photosphere and chromosphere. It will also study the sun's ultraviolet radiation and its impact on the Earth's upper atmosphere and climate.

Recently, the handover ceremony of the Visible Line emission coronagraph (VLEC) was held. It has a very close capability to observe solar corona to image it to as close as 1.05 times the solar radius with a very high resolution. Overall, there have been announcements to launch the mission by July 2023.

Significance of Aditya L1 mission in India’s journey:

1. Advancement in Solar Physics: Data collected by the suite of instruments in this mission will help to advance our understanding of the sun's activity.
2. Understanding the sun's activity and its influence on Earth's climate can help in space weather forecasting space as events such as solar flares and coronal mass ejections, can disrupt communication and navigation systems.
3. It will help better predict sunspot cycles thus the sun’s energy output and contribute to the harnessing of renewable energy as a source to meet our energy demands.
4. A better understanding of the impact of the sun on earth’s climate contributes to the better development of strategies for mitigation and adaptation to climate change.

• India by providing a pathbreaking discovery here can contribute greatly towards climate change as we envision ourselves as Vishwaguru. It Would increase Indian capabilities in space exploration to showcase our potential and further collaborate with other space agencies to launch deep space missions.

5. Contribution to economic growth due to better space-related applications in an effort to launch this mission such as the development of heat-resistant materials, better utilization of weather forecasting and navigation services, etc.

• The success of this mission could provide us further confidence for explorations towards the sun. This will increase our share in the global space industry as well contribute to jobs with also possibilities of private sector cooperation.

Criticisms of Aditya-L1 mission regarding significance for India:

1. The proposed cost is more than 400 crores, which could be better spent on other socio-economic development imperatives in a developing country like India as it is generally alleged about India’s space achievements.
2. Limited international collaboration with other competing advanced missions like NASA’s parker solar probe going inside the sun and studying its corona is to be completed by 2025. This creates doubts about whether AdityaL1 will be able to provide substantial info as it is at L1, 1.5 million km away from the sun.

Overall, India is facing such criticisms right since our space journey started. Space research and missions do provide substantial benefits to the economy apart from fundamental science. India should commit itself to successfully launching this mission, showcase its capability and then ensure collaboration with other stakeholders in future space missions.