India's Aditya-L1 solar observatory mission has delivered ground breaking insights into the mechanics of solar storms and their profound effects on Earth's magnetic field. On 10 January 2026, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced that data from this pioneering spacecraft has illuminated the dynamics of a severe space weather event from October 2024.

This revelation stems from a comprehensive study published in The Astrophysical Journal in December 2025, spearheaded by ISRO scientists and research students.

Aditya-L1, India's inaugural dedicated solar observatory, occupies a strategic vantage point at the Sun-Earth Lagrange point 1 (L1), approximately 1.5 million kilometres from Earth. Launched in September 2023, the mission boasts seven payloads designed to scrutinise the Sun's corona, chromosphere, and photosphere across multiple wavelengths.


These instruments captured high-fidelity observations of a massive solar plasma eruption, corroborated by data from international missions such as NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory and the European Space Agency's Solar Orbiter.

The October 2024 event in question involved a coronal mass ejection (CME)—a colossal expulsion of solar plasma and embedded magnetic fields from the Sun's corona. Travelling at speeds exceeding 1,000 km/s, this CME barrelled towards Earth, triggering a geomagnetic storm of exceptional intensity. Aditya-L1's Visible Emission Line Coronagraph (VELC) and other sensors provided unprecedented real-time monitoring of the plasma's turbulent evolution en route.

Space weather, as defined by ISRO, encompasses the variable conditions in the near-Earth space environment driven by solar transients. These phenomena pose tangible risks to modern infrastructure, including satellite operations, global communication networks, GPS navigation systems, and terrestrial power grids. A single severe solar storm can induce geomagnetically induced currents (GICs) capable of overloading transformers and precipitating widespread blackouts.

The study's core findings centre on the solar storm's turbulent region, a chaotic plasma structure within the CME. Upon colliding with Earth's magnetosphere—the planet's protective magnetic shield—this turbulence exerted unprecedented compressive forces. ISRO reports that the magnetopause, the outermost boundary of the magnetosphere, was compressed to an unusually low altitude, dipping perilously close to Earth's surface.

This compression exposed geostationary satellites, orbiting at 36,000 km altitude, to the unfiltered onslaught of solar wind and cosmic rays. Ordinarily buffered by the magnetosphere, these assets faced heightened radiation doses and surface charging risks during the brief vulnerability window. Such episodes underscore the fragility of equatorial high-orbit spacecraft during extreme events, which occur infrequently but with devastating potential.

Further analysis revealed super-intensified electrojet currents in the auroral zones at high latitudes. These currents, driven by interactions between solar plasma and Earth's ionosphere, surged dramatically, generating Joule heating in the upper atmosphere. The resultant thermal expansion could elevate atmospheric drag on low-Earth orbit satellites and facilitate enhanced escape of ionospheric particles into space.

Aditya-L1's multi-instrument suite proved instrumental in decoding these processes. For instance, the Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (SUIT) imaged solar flares preceding the CME, while the Aditya Solar Wind Particle Experiment (ASPEX) measured in-situ plasma parameters. Integrating these with global datasets enabled a holistic reconstruction of the storm's propagation and impact.

The implications extend to India's burgeoning space economy, which includes over 100 operational satellites and ambitious constellations like the NavIC navigation system. ISRO emphasises that real-time space weather forecasting is now imperative to mitigate disruptions.

The mission's data has already refined predictive models, enhancing alerts for satellite operators and power utilities.

Globally, the findings bolster international efforts under frameworks like the International Space Weather Initiative. As solar activity peaks towards the 2025 maximum of Solar Cycle 25, Aditya-L1 positions India as a key contributor to space weather vigilance. Future studies from the mission promise deeper understanding of coronal heating, solar wind origins, and magnetic reconnection—phenomena pivotal to both scientific inquiry and hazard mitigation.

In essence, Aditya-L1's revelations affirm the mission's strategic value, transforming India into a frontline player in helio-physics. By unravelling the intricate dance between solar fury and Earth's defences, ISRO paves the way for resilient space infrastructure amid an era of intensifying solar threats.

Agencies