By Annalisa Zolotas [‘27]
On August 23rd 2023 India successfully landed on the moon. This was an amazing feat that India accomplished, and they have already launched their next solar mission. On September 2nd, India sent a spacecraft to research the sun. Adding to the mission's greatness, they only spent 55 million USD to build the spacecraft, which is 300 million less than what the United States spent going to the moon in 1969. The satellite is currently estimated to be 1.5 million kilometers away from earth. This is about one-percent of its journey, so it still has a significant a way to go.
The satellite will need to travel 148.5 million kilometers before it is close enough to the sun. The satellite is expected to reach this point by January of 2024. Through this mission, India hopes to answer solar related questions. For example, the country launched the satellite so that they could find out how solar availability affects the climate on Earth. This mission will help the entire world further understand the planet that our solar system revolves around.
