Hyderabad: India's first spaced based observatory solar mission - Aditya-L1, dedicated to a comprehensive study of the Sun, successfully lifted off from Sriharikota spaceport, Andhra Pradesh.
The spacecraft of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is carrying 7 distinct payloads, all developed indigenously, and will be positioned at L1 here refers to Lagrange Point 1 of the Sun-Earth system.
According to the ISRO, the L1 is a location in space where the gravitational forces of two celestial bodies, such as the Sun and Earth, are in equilibrium. It is a balanced gravitational location between the Earth and the Sun. It allows an object placed there to remain relatively stable with respect to both celestial bodies.
How long will it take to reach L1? Aditya-L1 will take over 125 days to reach its destination at L1 and begin its halo orbiting of L1. After the scheduled launch, Aditya-L1 will stay on Earth-bound orbits for 16 days. It will undergo 5 maneuvres to gain the necessary velocity for its journey.
Subsequently, Aditya-L1 will undergo a Trans-Lagrangian1 insertion maneuvre. This will mark the beginning of its 110-day trajectory to the destination around the L1 Lagrange point.
Once it reaches the L1 point, the ISRO will carry out another maneuvre which will bind Aditya-L1 to an orbit around L1. The satellite spends its whole mission life orbiting around L1 in an irregularly shaped orbit in a plane roughly perpendicular to the line joining the Earth and the Sun.
Why L1? The L1 Lagrange point ensures that Aditya-L1 can maintain a constant, uninterrupted view of the Sun, the ISRO reasoned on the strategic placement. It also allows the satellite to access solar radiation and magnetic storms before they are influenced by Earth's magnetic field and atmosphere.
The L1 point’s gravitational stability minimizes the need for frequent orbital maintenance efforts, optimizing the satellite's operational efficiency.
Facts you should know- Aditya-L1 will stay approximately 1.5 million km away from Earth. The satellite facing the Sun at a point which is about 1% of the Earth-Sun distance. The Sun is a giant sphere of gas and Aditya-L1 would study the outer atmosphere of the Sun. Importantly, Aditya-L1 will neither land on the Sun nor approach the Sun any closer.
