Bengaluru:–India successfully placed a solar space observatory at a vantage point, around 1.5 million-km from Earth, as we know cannot exist and Aditya will soon begin to unravel Sun’s mysteries through the instruments it is carrying. Isro chairman Somnath told media that Aditya –L1 is meant for the world and that data from the mission will be made available to researchers from across the globe, We are only the fourth nation to have a mission of this class and like the PM said after Chandrayaan-3 I want to say this is another Indian mission meant for the world”, he added. On possibilities of mission life extension, Somnath said, “We need about 60 kg of fuel to operate the spacecraft at L1 for five years; we have about 100 kg left. Whether the mission can carry on beyond five year will depend on payload health and several other factors”, he said.
Aditya-L1 now resides in a periodic halo orbit, ensuring a continuous unobstructed view of the Sun. The orbit on the continuously moving Sun-Earth line and orbital period of about 177.8 Earth days is three-dimensional, involving the Sun, Earth and a spacecraft.
ISRO in statement issued said,” L1 offers several benefits, including a smooth Sun-spacecraft velocity change suitable for helioseismology being outside the Earth’s magnetosphere allows for ‘in-situ’ sampling of solar wind and particles, while continuous observation of the Sun and uninterrupted communication with ground stations are ensured,”
To ensure compliance with HOI parameters at least two trajectory corrective manoeuvres (TCMs) were conductd on October 5 and December 14 last year. All payloads underwent thorough testing during the pre-commissioning phase, confirming satisfactory performance. The spacecraft was launched on Sepember 2, 2023, and put into an elliptical parking orbit (EPO) of 235.6km by 19,503km. From there, Aditya-L1, with help of its onboard propulsion system,Increasing its orbital size progressively and moving towards its final destination.
PM Narendra Modi hailed Isro scientists for putting India’s solar observatory Aditya L1 in halo orbit around the strategic Lagrange point L1 after a 127 day journey from Earth, saying “ India creates yet another land mark”. President Droupadi Murmu pointed out that “significant participation of women scientists in Isro mission takes women empowerment too on to higher orbit”.
