The Aditya-L1 coronagraph has now been paired with Europe’s Proba-3 for the first time, according to an ISRO release dated October 15, 2026. Scientists at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Bengaluru, combined observations from the Visible Emission Line Coronagraph (VELC) on India’s Aditya-L1 with the ASPIICS instrument on Proba-3 to study coronal mass ejections (CMEs) very close to the Sun. The study has been published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.
Why the Aditya-L1 coronagraph study matters
CMEs are large eruptions in which huge amounts of magnetised plasma are thrown into interplanetary space. When they are aimed at Earth, they can disturb the near-Earth space environment. ISRO says measuring them close to the Sun is valuable for understanding the physics that shapes their evolution, but observing them near the solar disk is hard. Earlier coronagraphs could not track the early evolution of faint CMEs, so how CME energy is shared between kinetic, thermal and magnetic forms remains poorly constrained.
Two spacecraft, two views
Aditya-L1 is India’s first dedicated solar mission. It was launched on 2 September 2023 and reached a halo orbit around the Sun-Earth L1 point on 6 January 2024. VELC was developed by IIA in close collaboration with ISRO and takes spectroscopic observations of the corona from 1.05 to 1.5 solar radii in the 5303 Angstrom green coronal line.
Proba-3 is a European Space Agency mission launched by PSLV-XL from Sriharikota on 5 December 2024. It is described as the world’s first precision formation-flying mission: two spacecraft about 150 metres apart, with one casting a shadow on the other to create an artificial solar eclipse. That lets ASPIICS image the corona from about 1.1 to 3 solar radii in white light and in the green line.
According to ISRO, ASPIICS gives sharp images to estimate a CME’s shape, dynamics and mass, while VELC’s spectra describe CME gas at about two million degrees, giving independent estimates of density and thermal energy.
What the two CMEs showed
The team found that only two CMEs, on 14 and 16 September 2025, were recorded at the same time by both instruments between July and December 2025. VELC caught both at an early stage. Key findings listed by ISRO:
- The 14 September CME was fast, at about 645 km/s, while the 16 September CME was much slower, at 145 km/s.
- Mass and thermal energy estimates from the two instruments agreed well, despite different assumptions and observation types.
- In the 14 September CME, thermal energy was only about 1% of the total. In the 16 September CME, thermal energy grew until it matched kinetic energy, and estimated magnetic energy was comparable to or greater than kinetic energy.
The India angle
The work was led by researchers at IIA along with European and American solar physicists. ISRO says it shows the growing scientific impact of Aditya-L1 and the strength of coordinated observations and international cooperation.
The other side: a small sample
The result rests on just two CMEs, and ISRO itself describes the findings as showing “potential” and “new observational constraints”. Estimates depend on modelling assumptions, which is why agreement between two instruments is highlighted. The release does not claim better space-weather forecasts, and it does not give details on how or when the approach could be used for routine monitoring. There are no direct security concerns in the announcement.
You may also like our stories on ISRO’s space debris plan and meteorite dust and how the Sun may have formed.
My view on the Aditya-L1 coronagraph result
As a writer, I feel this is a good example of two missions from different space agencies being more useful together than apart. For India, it shows an instrument built in the country producing data that international scientists can combine with their own. I would be careful not to oversell it, since two events are a starting point, not a trend. More joint observations will show whether the approach holds up.
FAQ: Aditya-L1, Proba-3 and CMEs
What is the Aditya-L1 coronagraph?
It is the Visible Emission Line Coronagraph (VELC), an instrument on India’s Aditya-L1 solar mission that takes spectroscopic observations of the Sun’s corona in the 5303 Angstrom green line. It was developed by IIA in collaboration with ISRO.
What did the joint study find?
Looking at CMEs on 14 and 16 September 2025, the team found the first was fast (about 645 km/s) and the second slow (145 km/s), with different energy splits, and that estimates from the two instruments agreed well.
Why does it matter for Earth?
CMEs aimed at Earth can disturb the near-Earth space environment. Understanding how they form and evolve near the Sun is part of understanding that risk, according to ISRO.