INDIA'S FIRST SOLAR OBSERVATORY HEADED TO ITS DESTINATION

The satellite will be positioned in a halo orbit around the Li of the Sun-Earth system, approximately 1.5 million kilometers from Earth

- AYUSHEE CHAUDHARY

IN A SIGNIFICANT STRIDE FOR INDIA'S SPACE PROGRAMME, following the successful Chandrayaan-3 mission to the moon, the nation is now embarking on a journey toward the sun with Aditya-L1. Launched on September 2, 2023, aboard the PSLV-C57 rocket, Aditya-L1 is a dedicated satellite designed for an in-depth study of the Sun. The satellite boasts seven distinct payloads, five of which are developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), with the remaining two being a collaborative effort between Indian academic institutes and ISRO.

Aditya-L1 is India’s inaugural space-based mission dedicated to the study of the Sun. Aditya, meaning “Sun” in Sanskrit, derives its name from its mission to study the Sun. The “L1” signifies its destination: the Lagrange Point 1 of the Sun-Earth system. For context, L1 is a unique location in space where the gravitational forces of two celestial bodies, in this case, the Sun and Earth, are perfectly balanced. This equilibrium enables an object positioned at L1 to remain relatively stable concerning both celestial bodies.

The journey of India's first solar observatory commenced with the launch of Aditya-L1. Following liftoff, the satellite is to remain in Earth-bound orbits for 16 days. During this period, it will execute five maneuvers to attain the necessary velocity for its interplanetary journey. On September 3, 2023, just a day after launch, the first Earth-bound maneuver was successfully executed at ISTRAC, Bengaluru, followed by the second on September 5, 2023, and the third on September 10, 2023.