In a groundbreaking moment for India’s space endeavors, the Aditya L1 solar mission embarked on a 125-day voyage to study the Sun after being successfully placed into orbit by a PSLV rocket. Union Minister Jitendra Singh, who witnessed the launch from the Mission Control Centre, hailed it as a “Sunshine moment” for the country.
ISRO Chairman S Somanath explained that this mission set a unique technical milestone by employing a novel approach. The PSLV rocket executed two burn sequences to inject the primary satellite, Aditya-L1, into a precise elliptical orbit of 235/19,500 km.
“Aditya L1 will now begin its extensive journey, spanning approximately 1.5 million km from Earth over 125 days. Its destination is the Halo orbit around the Lagrangian point L1, which is the closest point to the Sun. During this journey, it will capture and transmit images of the Sun for scientific experiments”.
Scientists identify five Lagrangian points, or parking areas, between Earth and the Sun, where objects tend to remain stationary when placed there. Aditya-L1’s mission focuses on studying the outer atmosphere of the Sun and various aspects of its behavior. However, it will not land on or approach the Sun any closer.
“The mission’s objectives include the study of coronal heating, solar wind acceleration, Coronal Mass Ejections (CME), dynamics of the solar atmosphere, and temperature anisotropy. These investigations promise valuable insights into the Sun’s behavior and its impact on space weather”.
Following Saturday’s launch, Aditya-L1, weighing approximately 1,480.7 kg, will remain in Earth-bound orbits for 16 days. During this time, it will undergo five maneuvers to acquire the necessary velocity for its journey towards the Sun.
“Nigar Shaji, the Project Director, expressed her delight, describing the successful launch as a dream come true for the Aditya L1 team. She confirmed that the solar panels were deployed, and the spacecraft was functioning normally”.
Once commissioned, Aditya L1 will be a valuable asset for heliophysics research in India and contribute to the global scientific community’s understanding of the Sun. As it reaches the L1 point, another maneuver will secure its orbit around this balanced gravitational location, strategically positioned between the Earth and the Sun.
India’s Aditya L1 Solar Mission promises to shed light on the mysteries of our nearest star and advance our knowledge of the Sun’s intricate dynamics, benefiting both national and international scientific research.
