ISRO's Aditya L1 expected to reach its final L1 orbit on Jan 6; details about the mission here

ISRO's Aditya L1 is inching closer to its destination and is expected to reach the Lagrange point (L1) on January 6 evening. Aditya L1, launched on September 2 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, would get into a ‘halo orbit’ around the Lagrange Point 1 (L1), one of the five spots in the moving Sun-Earth system, where the gravitational effects of the two bodies roughly balance each other.

The L1 point is about 1.5 million kilometres from the Earth. This is just 1 per cent of the total distance between the Earth and Sun.

The L1 point provides a unique perspective for continuous solar observation without the interruptions of eclipses. The mission objectives of Aditya-L1 include studying solar activities like coronal mass ejections and solar flares, which have significant implications for understanding space weather and its effects on satellite communications and power grids on Earth. 

Till Wednesday, Aditya had successfully completed 124 days in space. Since September 18, Aditya had started collecting scientific data and imaging the Sun. The scientists have, so far, obtained the first sneak peek into high-energy X-ray of solar flares, full solar disc images and others.

 

On September 19, Aditya-L1 underwent the Trans-Lagrangian1 insertion manoeuvre, marking the beginning of its 110-day trajectory to the destination around the L1 point.

On January 6 around 4 pm, ISRO Scientists and Engineers from the Mission Operations Complex of ISTRAC will perform the crucial manoeuvre which will bind Aditya-L1 to an orbit around L1.

Aditya-L1 has seven different payloads to observe the various layers of the Sun, including the photosphere, chromosphere, and corona, using electromagnetic and particle detectors.

From its unique position at L1, four of these payloads will directly view the Sun, while the other three will conduct in-situ studies of particles and fields.

Aditya-L1 is expected to remain active for five years, during which time its payloads will provide crucial information that will help us understand a range of solar phenomena, including coronal heating, coronal mass ejections, pre-flare and flare activities, space weather dynamics, and the propagation of particles and fields.

Speaking about te final burn, Isro Chairman S Somanath said the success of the mission will depend on the crucial firing maneuver scheduled for January 6. Explaining the process, Somanath said: "If we do not do the final burn, the spacecraft will jump and go on its way farther distances, towards the Sun because it has a bigger body." 

The final maneuver is not just about reaching the destination but also ensuring the spacecraft's longevity in its orbit. "Once it is done, it will get trapped in orbit, but it is not permanent. We still have to do some firing occasionally to keep it there," added Somanath.
 

Also read: XPoSat: Isro's first mission to study black holes, colossal stars takes off; Details here

Also watch: ISRO to launch satellite via Elon Musk-led SpaceX's Falcon-9 rocket in mid-2024