Siliguri resident Janmejoy Sarkar contributes to India’s historic Aditya L1 Solar Mission
The city of Siliguri has come to the spotlight because one of its residents, Janmejoy Sarkar, has been a part of the solar mission project, Aditya L1 of the Indian Space Research Organisation. He was a part of the team that built one of the seven payloads that was sent onboard the Aditya L1.
Janmejoy Sarkar who is pursuing his Ph.D. from Tezpur University in Assam was assigned a role in developing IUCAA’s Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (SUIT) payload on Aditya-L1. His tasks involved optical and mechanical integration, instrument calibration, qualification and testing.
This project, which is a part of his PhD, was supervised by Prof. Gazi Ahmed from Tezpur University, Prof. Durgesh Tripathi and Prof. A.N. Ramaprakash from IUCAA, Pune. The telescope will provide full disk images of the Sun in the 2000 to 4000 A wavelength range.
From his current location at the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) in Pune, Janmejoy Sarkar shared his enthusiasm for the project. “I have had a keen interest in the field of astronomy since my childhood. It is a matter of immense pride that I got the opportunity to be associated with such an important mission in India’s space history,” Janmejoy remarked during a phone interview by The Telegraph.
27-year-old Janmejoy, who completed his schooling and graduation in Siliguri, pursued his master’s degree in physics at Tezpur University in Assam. He is currently pursuing his Ph.D. from the same institution.
His father, Debasis Sarkar, expressed immense pride in his son’s accomplishments and highlighted Janmejoy’s involvement in the project. “A team comprising senior scientists and research fellows has built the Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (SUIT) under the initiative of IUCAA. My son is one among them,” said Debasis over the phone to The Telegraph.
Aditya L1, the first solar observatory mission of India, was launched by ISRO at approximately 11:50 am. The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) carried the satellite into space from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.
India’s role in space exploration has gained momentum recently with the successful landing of the Chandrayaan 3 rover on the south pole of the moon. Now, with this successful launch of Adiya L1, India has achieved a significant milestone in the global race for space exploration. The contributions of individuals like Janmejoy Sarkar demonstrate the nation’s growing prowess in the field of astrophysics and space research.
