The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced on Sunday that Aditya-L1, India’s first solar mission, is in good health and operating as expected.
ISRO shared on X (formerly Twitter), “The first Earth-bound maneuver (EBN#1) was successfully completed from ISTRAC, Bengaluru. The new orbit achieved is 245 km x 22,459 km. The next maneuver (EBN#2) is scheduled for September 5, 2023, around 03:00 Hrs. IST.”
Aditya-L1, India’s maiden solar mission, was launched successfully from Sriharikota the previous day. This space-based observatory is designed to study the sun. After traveling approximately 1.5 million kilometers from Earth over 125 days, the spacecraft will be positioned in a halo orbit around Lagrange point L1, which is considered the closest point to the sun.
Lagrange points are named after the Italian-French mathematician Joseph-Louis Lagrange and are positions in space where the gravitational forces of the Earth and the Sun balance the centripetal force required for a small object to remain synchronized with them. Aditya-L1 will be launched toward the Lagrange L1 point using onboard propulsion, allowing it to exit Earth’s gravitational Sphere of Influence and proceed toward L1. It will later be placed in a large Halo Orbit around the L1 point near the Sun.
The entire journey from launch to reaching the L1 point is expected to take approximately four months for the Aditya-L1 Mission, according to ISRO.
ISRO outlined the importance of studying the Sun, emphasizing that it emits radiation across various wavelengths, along with energetic particles and magnetic fields. Earth’s atmosphere and magnetic field serve as protective barriers, blocking harmful radiation. Space-based solar studies are essential to detect and understand these radiations.
The primary objectives of the mission include gaining insights into Coronal Heating and Solar Wind Acceleration, the initiation of Coronal Mass Ejection (CME), near-Earth space weather, and the distribution of solar wind.
