At 11:50 India time (06:20 GMT), Aditya-L1 lifted off from Sriharikota.

It will travel 1.5 million kilometers (932,000 miles) from Earth to the Sun – 1% of that distance.

According to India’s space agency, it will take four months to travel that far.

Surya – the Hindu god of sun known as Aditya – is the name of India’s first space-based mission to study the solar system’s biggest object.

L1 stands for Lagrange point 1, where the Indian spacecraft will be heading between the Sun and Earth.

The Lagrange point is a spot where two large objects, such as the Sun and the Earth, cancel out their gravitational forces, allowing a spacecraft to hover.

Aditya-L1 will be able to orbit the Sun at the same rate as Earth once it reaches this “parking spot”. The satellite will also require very little fuel to operate. The blast off was watched by a few thousand people in the viewing gallery set up by the Indian Space Research Agency (Isro) near the launch site on Saturday morning.

The launch was also broadcast live on national television, where commentators described it as a “magnificent” event. According to ISRO scientists, the launch was successful and its performance was normal.

Isro declared the mission successful after an hour and four minutes of flight.

“I wish it good luck on its journey – it’s a very long journey of 135 days,” Isro chief Sreedhara Panicker Somanath said.

The project director, Nigar Shaji, said Aditya-L1 will benefit not only India, but also the global scientific community once it reaches its destination.

Prior to launching towards L1, Aditya-L1 will travel several times around the Earth.

It will be able to watch the Sun continuously – even during an eclipse – and conduct scientific research from this vantage point.

According to the Indian press, the mission will cost 3.78 billion rupees ($46 million; £36 million).