ISRO Conducts Key Manoeuvre as Aditya-L1 Begins Journey Away from Earth:
Aditya L1, India’s inaugural space mission dedicated to studying the Sun, has initiated a critical maneuver, departing from Earth’s orbit since its September 2 launch. This significant Trans-Lagrangian Point 1 Insertion maneuver signifies the commencement of the spacecraft’s 110-day journey towards its destination around the L1 Lagrange point, a gravitationally stable location situated between the Earth and the Sun.
ISRO announced the successful execution of the Trans-Lagrangian Point 1 Insertion (TL1I) maneuver, propelling Aditya-L1 toward the Sun-Earth L1 point. After approximately 110 days, the spacecraft will be inserted into an orbit around L1 through a subsequent maneuver. Aditya-L1, India’s first space-based solar observatory, will observe the Sun from a halo orbit around the Sun-Earth L1 point, located about 1.5 million kilometers from Earth, which is approximately one percent of the Earth-Sun distance.
The mission aims to study the Sun’s outer atmosphere and space weather phenomena. Following its launch, Aditya-L1 underwent four Earth-bound maneuvers to gain the necessary velocity for its journey to the L1 point. Upon reaching the L1 point, another maneuver will bind Aditya-L1 to an orbit around L1.
The spacecraft will spend its mission life orbiting L1 in an irregularly shaped orbit, enabling continuous observation of the Sun without the interruption of eclipses or occultations. This unique vantage point offers valuable insights into solar activities and their impact on space weather in real time.
Aditya-L1 is equipped with seven scientific payloads developed by ISRO and national research laboratories to observe the photosphere, chromosphere, and corona of the Sun using electromagnetic, particle, and magnetic field detectors.
These instruments will provide essential data for studying coronal heating, coronal mass ejections, space weather dynamics, particle and field propagation, and other solar phenomena. Lagrangian points are gravitationally stable regions in space where small objects can remain with reduced fuel consumption due to a balance between the gravitational forces of larger celestial bodies like the Earth and the Sun. The L1 point offers a unique position for continuous solar observation.
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