Aditya-L1 mission: India’s solar mission to meet insertion point on January 6

Earlier, ISRO Chairman S Somnath had told ANI, “Aditya-L1 is going to reach its L1 point on January 6 and we are going to do the final maneuver to keep it there.”

What’s next for Aditya L1 after reaching Lagrange Point 1?

Aditya-L1 is expected to remain operational for the next five years. Located at a distance of 1.5 million km from Earth, the Aditya-L1 satellite, launched from Sriharikota on September 2, will perform a crucial maneuver when it reaches L1.

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The purpose of this maneuver is to establish a stable orbit, which enables the satellite to make uninterrupted and comprehensive observations of the Sun.

Also read: Aditya-L1: ISRO chief shares update on India’s first solar mission, says L1 point insertion will be done…

“The Lagrange point is the region where gravity between the Earth and the Sun will become neutral. Complete neutralization is not possible because there are other bodies like the Moon, Mars and Venus,” Somnath said.

As reported PTIThe ISRO chief had said that the data would be very useful in understanding the dynamics of the Sun and how it affects our lives. “Once it is successfully deployed at the L1 point, it will remain there for the next five years and collect all the data which is very important not only for India but for the entire world,” the ISRO chief said.

What is Aditya-L1 mission?

Aditya-L1, described as a “dedicated satellite for comprehensive study of the Sun”, was successfully launched by the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C57) on September 2, 2023. It represents the first space-based observatory class Indian solar mission. ,Aditya-L1 is specially designed for in-depth study of the Sun.

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Also read: Aditya-L1 mission: Solar wind ion spectrometer becomes operational, says ISRO

The spacecraft is equipped with seven payloads designed to observe the photosphere, chromosphere, and outermost layers of the Sun (known as the corona) through the use of electromagnetic and particle detectors.

Also read: Aditya-L1: India’s first solar mission to reach destination 1.5 million km from Earth, says ISRO

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“Using the special vantage point of L1, four payloads will observe the Sun directly and the remaining three payloads will conduct in-situ studies of the particles and fields at the Lagrange point L1,” ISRO said.

Also Read: Aditya L1: ISRO successfully launches India’s first solar mission from Sriharikota

The payload on Aditya L1 is expected to provide important data to understand issues related to coronal heating, coronal mass ejection, pre-flare and flare activities as well as their characteristics. Additionally, the satellite aims to contribute to the understanding of space weather dynamics, the study of particle propagation, and the investigation of regions in the interplanetary medium.

How is Aditya-L1 made?

The seven payloads of Aditya L1 have been indigenously developed by various laboratories in the country. Its VELC instrument is built at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bangalore; the SUIT instrument at the Inter-University Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pune; ASPEX equipment at Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad; PAPA payload at the Space Physics Laboratory, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram; The SoLEXS and HEL1OS payloads at UR Rao Satellite Centre, Bangalore, and the magnetometer payload at the Electro-Optics Systems Laboratory, Bangalore.

All payloads have been developed in close collaboration with various ISRO centres.

(with inputs from agencies)

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Published: 05 January 2024, 08:56 am IST