Eyeing The Stars: How India Is Turning Ladakh's Harsh Terrain Into A Science Launch-Pad
Last May, Indian astronomers captured a stunning, rare display of northern lights dancing across Ladakh's night skies. This was triggered by the most intense solar storm in the last 20 years. A year later, using observations from the Indian Astronomical Observatory (IAO) in Hanle – alongside data from NASA and ESA – they have successfully traced the paths of these powerful solar eruptions, and determined their temperatures and magnetic properties.
This is just one of the many science breakthroughs emerging from Ladakh. With its high altitude and one of the darkest skies in India, the region has long provided vital data for Indian astronomers. The 22-km area around Hanle hosts India's first Dark Sky Reserve. Now this cold, barren and Mars-like frontier has become India's most crucial site for astronomical research. From the country's first analog space mission to its largest solar telescope, Ladakh is fast emerging as the launch-pad for India's big scientific dreams.
Scientists from the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Bengaluru, have long aimed to build the National Large Solar Telescope in Ladakh – a 2-metre ground-based telescope, set at 4,200 metres above the sea level, designed to observe the Sun in optical and near-infrared light like never before.
The project has been years in the making, and is proposed to be set up near Pangong Lake in Merak, Ladakh. 'Ladakh offers one of the best sky conditions for astrophysicists in India. The weather is mostly clear, the altitude is high, rainfall is scarce, and it is practically a cold desert," said Dr Jayant Joshi, project scientist at IIA, Bengaluru. 'These conditions make Ladakh an ideal site for ground-based telescopes. The proposed solar telescope will probably be the largest in Asia, offering scientists a powerful tool to study the Sun and its complex behaviour."
Globally, the best astronomical observatories are built in high-altitude mountain ranges with minimal light pollution, like in Hawaii or Chile. That is because ground-based telescopes have to deal with atmospheric turbulence, where heat in the air creates wavy patterns that can blur what we see. But, positioning the telescope at such altitude near Pangong Lake helps reduce that distortion, as water has high specific heat – it does not heat up or cool down quickly, which keeps the surrounding air more stable – perfect for sharp astronomical observation.
'The project is now in an advanced stage, and currently awaiting financial approval. Once operational, it will capture highly detailed images, crucial for understanding solar flares, and the impact of space weather on satellites. Together with Aditya L-1, it will provide deeper insights into solar activity," added Dr Joshi.
LADAKH'S BARREN LAND – A TEST BED FOR SPACE-SCIENCE
Scientists are eager to harness Ladakh's potential – not just for breakthroughs in research, but also as a training ground for astronomers, stargazers and space-science enthusiasts. At over 3,000 metres above sea level, Ladakh has just 40 per cent of sea-level oxygen, allowing realistic testing of life-support systems in low-pressure, low-oxygen conditions similar to Mars.
Last year, private space firm AAKA Space Studio in collaboration with the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) set up the country's first analog space mission in Leh, Ladakh – to support India's ambitious Human Spaceflight programme. Analog space facilities are essentially field tests on Earth that mimic extreme space environment, allowing scientists to test designs, materials, train crews, and conduct scientific experiments in realistic conditions.
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'Any space-faring nation aiming for the Moon or Mars must train its astronauts in extreme, Earth-based environments. With India targeting a Bhartiya Antriksh Station by 2035 and a Moon landing by 2040, setting up multiple analog research bases is essential," said Professor Aloke Kumar of IISc Bengaluru. 'Ladakh – with its dry, sub-zero temperatures, low precipitation, rocky terrain, permafrost, and high-altitude desert – is an ideal testbed that closely mimics Martian and lunar landscapes."
Ladakh now also hosts – MACE – the largest imaging Cherenkov telescope in Asia and the highest of its kind in the world, located at around 4,300 metres. It was indigenously built by Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) to study very high-energy gamma rays from space, and inaugurated last October. With its unique geography and climate, the high-altitude Ladakh has now become an ideal, year-round field lab for geologists, geographers, astronomers, and space researchers from across India.
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July 22, 2025, 11:52 IST
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