Local Scientist From Siliguri Plays Key Role in India's First Solar Mission

Residents of Siliguri had further reasons to rejoice as the whole country celebrated the launch of Aditya L1, India's first solar mission, on Saturday.

The city's Janmejoy Sarkar is connected to the initiative started by the Indian Space Research Organization (Isro).

Since I was a little kid, astronomy has piqued my curiosity. I'm proud that I had the chance to be a part of such a significant mission in India's space history, Janmejoy, 27, told this reporter by phone from Sriharikota.

Janmejoy was a member of the scientific team that worked on the integration, calibration, and testing of the operation of the solar ultraviolet imaging telescope (SUIT) of the satellite. Janmejoy has been employed at the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) in Pune.

The boy completed his education and received his Siliguri diploma. He then relocated to Tezpur University in Assam to get his physics master's degree. He is also working on his PhD at the same college.

Janmejoy's happy father Debasis, who was also there for the unveiling in Sriharikota, revealed that his son was a part of the team that created SUIT.

Under the direction of IUCAA, a group of senior scientists and research fellows created it. One of them is my kid, Debasis remarked over the phone.

The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), which was carrying Aditya L1, the first solar observatory mission of India, was launched by Isro at about 11.50 am from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota.

Debasis, a devoted astronomer and secretary of the North Bengal Sky Watchers Association (SWAN), claimed that SUIT was an ultraviolet telescope capable of taking pictures of the solar disc in the near ultraviolet (NUV) band between 200 nm and 400 nm.

The father said, "This mission is as significant as Chandrayaan's mission for our nation.