India's first solar observatory Aditya L1 in its final orbit now | Top updates
Aditya L1, India's maiden solar observatory, entered the ‘Halo orbit’ around the Lagrange L1 point on Saturday.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)'s Aditya L1, the country's maiden solar observatory, entered the ‘Halo orbit’ around the Lagrange L1 point on Saturday, marking another significant milestone for the space agency after Chandrayaan-3's moon landing on the south pole! Since its launch nearly four months ago in September, the spacecraft, equipped with seven payloads, has reached a distance of approximately 1.5 million km from Earth.
This strategic position enables uninterrupted observation of the Sun, providing scientists with an unobstructed view to study solar activities and their effects on space weather in real-time.
The primary goal is to delve into the physics of the solar corona and its heating mechanisms, solar wind acceleration, the dynamics of the solar atmosphere, distribution and temperature anisotropy of solar wind, and the origins of Coronal Mass Ejections (CME) and flares, along with near-earth space weather.
Following the final orbit injection, ISRO stated that the selected halo orbit ensures a mission lifespan of five years. This orbit minimises the need for station-keeping manoeuvers, reducing fuel consumption and facilitating a continuous, unhindered view of the Sun.
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-ISRO's statement confirmed the successful Halo-Orbit Insertion (HOI) of the Aditya-L1 solar observatory spacecraft around 4 pm on Saturday. The manoeuvre's final phase involved a brief firing of control engines.
-ISRO chairman S Somnath said that Aditya L1's precise placement has been achieved in the halo orbit and mentioned that there are pending corrections required to maintain the satellite's orientation. An imperative velocity of 31 metres per second needs adjustment the same day; otherwise, the satellite risks escaping from its designated position.
-The insertion process commenced as the spacecraft crossed the XZ plane within the Sun-Earth-L1 rotating system, securing the necessary orbital state. This manoeuvre aimed to nullify the X and Z velocity components and attain the required Y-velocity for the Halo orbit in the L1 rotating frame, ISRO said.
-Aditya-L1 was developed at UR Rao Satellite Centre (URSC) with collaboration from various ISRO centers. The scientific payloads aboard were crafted by Indian laboratories, including IIA, IUCAA, and ISRO.
-Following its launch on September 2 last year, Aditya-L1 embarked on an exceptional journey towards the Sun-Earth-L1 Lagrange point, progressively expanding its orbit using the onboard propulsion system. Five liquid engine burns (LEB) elevated the apogee during the Earth orbit phase, culminating in the trans-L1 injection (TL1I) manoeuvre.
-Space Applications Centre Director Nilesh M Desai told news agency ANI, “For around 220 seconds, after the thrust fire and other operations happened, and the Halo Orbit Insertion took place successfully... The satellite will for work 5 years.”
-Desai further emphasised that India will be the 14th nation with its solar observatory. He detailed the Visible Emission Line Coronagraph's (VELC) significance among the seven payloads carried by the spacecraft. The front optics were crafted by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, while the back-end electronics and control systems were designed by the Space Applications Centre. VELC aims to provide crucial insights into coronal mass ejections.
-On ISRO's Solar Mission Aditya-L1 entering Halo Orbit, Former ISRO Chief Dr G Madhavan Nair says, “The thrusters be fired in such a way that the spacecraft takes a stable orbit at the Lagrangian point from which the observation of the sun can be made uninterrupted, continuously for next few years. The journey commenced in September and while it is going towards the sun, most of the instruments have been calibrated, and they have sent some x-ray images as well as other particle counts as well".
“So that shows the spacecraft is in healthy condition. And once it is in a stable orbit, it will be able to carry out the indented observation of the solar corona phenomena as well as the photosphere and the various activities, especially the solar winds and related radiation,” Nair added.