Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)’s Aditya-L1 mission has delivered critical new insights into how a severe solar storm can compress and disturb Earth’s magnetic shield. A breakthrough study, published in The Astrophysical Journal (December 2025), analysed a major space-weather event from October 2024, using Aditya-L1 data along with inputs from other international missions.
Aditya-L1 showed that a turbulent solar-plasma region during October 2024 solar storm compressed Earth’s magnetosphere enough to expose geostationary satellites, highlighting the importance of real-time space-weather monitoring.
Key Findings of Study
- Turbulent solar plasma region caused the most severe impacts during the storm.
- This region strongly compressed Earth’s magnetosphere, pushing it unusually close to Earth.
- Geostationary satellites were briefly exposed to harsh space conditions—a phenomenon seen only during extreme space-weather events.
- Auroral-region currents (high latitudes) became super-intensified, potentially:
- Heating the upper atmosphere
- Causing enhanced atmospheric escape
- The findings underscore the critical need for real-time space-weather monitoring to protect satellites, navigation, communication systems and power infrastructure.
What is Space Weather?
Space weather refers to conditions driven by solar activity– such as solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) that can disrupt:
- Satellites and spacecraft
- GPS, communication and navigation services
- Power grids and aviation operations
Magnetosphere: Earth’s magnetic shield protecting it from charged solar particles
Solar Storms: Caused by solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs)
How Aditya-L1 Enabled This Discovery
- Continuous, uninterrupted solar observations allowed scientists to track the evolution of solar plasma.
- Combined remote-sensing + in-situ measurements helped decode Sun–Earth interactions during the storm.
- Demonstrated Aditya-L1’s value for early warnings and impact assessment of severe space-weather events.
About Aditya-L1 Mission
- India’s first space-based solar observatory
- Launched: 2 September 2023
- Launch Vehicle: PSLV-XL
- Orbit: Halo orbit around Sun–Earth Lagrange Point-1 (L1)
- Advantage: Uninterrupted view of the Sun (unlike Low Earth Orbit)
- Strategic significance: Places ISRO among an elite group with NASA and ESA in solar observations.
Why India Needs a Solar Mission
- The Sun (≈ 150 million km away) drives Earth’s climate, space environment and technological risks.
- Key solar mysteries:
- Why the corona is hotter than the surface
- Drivers of the solar cycle
- Origins of solar wind, flares and CMEs
- Understanding solar magnetism is essential for:
- Space-weather prediction
- Protection of space & ground infrastructure
- Advancing stellar physics
Major Science Objectives of Aditya-L1
- Understand coronal heating and solar-wind acceleration
- Study initiation of CMEs and solar flares
- Analyse near-Earth space weather
- Understand solar atmosphere coupling and dynamics
- Examine solar-wind distribution and temperature anisotropy
Payloads on Aditya-L1
Remote-Sensing Payloads
- Visible Emission Line Coronagraph (VELC):
Studies solar corona and CME dynamics - Solar Ultra-violet Imaging Telescope (SUIT):
Images photosphere & chromosphere (near-UV); measures irradiance variations - Solar Low Energy X-ray Spectrometer (SoLEXS):
Observes soft X-ray flares - High Energy L1 Orbiting X-ray Spectrometer (HEL1OS):
Studies hard X-ray flares
In-situ Payloads
- Aditya Solar Wind Particle Experiment (ASPEX):
Measures solar-wind ions and their energy distribution - Plasma Analyser Package for Aditya (PAPA):
Analyses plasma composition and characteristics - Advanced Tri-axial High-Resolution Digital Magnetometers (MAG):
Measures interplanetary magnetic field- Two sensors: at 6-m boom tip and 3-m mid-boom
Significance for India & World
- Strengthens space-weather forecasting capability
- Helps safeguard critical space assets (satellites, GNSS)
- Improves preparedness against solar-storm-induced disruptions
- Establishes India as a key contributor to global heliophysics research