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PremiumAditya L1 Mission Highlights: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)'s ambitious debut mission to study the Sun, Aditya L1, will reach its final destination on Saturday at 4pm. ISRO will perform the final manoeuvre on Saturday to inject Aditya-L1 spacecraft -- the first space-based Indian observatory to study the Sun.
Aditya L1 will be injected into its final destination orbit near the Sun, some 1.5 million kilometres from the Earth.
The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C57) launched the Aditya-L1 spacecraft from the second launch pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), Sriharikota, on 2 September in 2023.
After a flight duration of 63 minutes and 20 seconds, it was successfully injected into an elliptical orbit of 235x19500 km around the Earth.
As the country successfully positioned the Aditya-L1 spacecraft in its designated "halo orbit" around the Lagrange point L1 on Saturday, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal congratulated the ISRO team for the project.
Taking to Twitter, Kejriwal expressed his pride and joy over the successful mission, stating: "Today India created another record in its space journey. Successful placement of #AdityaL1 in 'Halo Orbit' at Language Point 1 is a proud moment for our country." He further extended his heartfelt congratulations to the entire ISRO team and all Indian citizens who contributed to this remarkable achievement, concluding his message with a resounding "Jai Hind." (ANI)
Rajasthan Bharatiya Janata Party president CP Joshi extended his wishes to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) scientists on Saturday after the Aditya-L1 spacecraft, the nation's first dedicated solar mission, entered its final destination orbit.
Aditya-L1 has reached Lagrange Point L1, about 1.5 million km from earth. Last September, the PSLV-C57.1 rocket carrying the Aditya-L1 lifted off successfully from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
"Aditya L1 sent on India's solar mission, reached its destination L1 point today. Congratulations and best wishes for this. Best wishes to Indian scientists on this extraordinary achievement. The success of the campaign is the result of the inspiration of the successful Prime Minister and the tireless hard work of the scientists," he said. (ANI)
It's the 'VikramAditya' era for ISRO in space exploration in the last six months. Close on the heels of the success of the country's lunar mission Chandrayaan-3 in August where the space agency successfully landed 'Vikram' lander in the south poll of moon, its Aditya spcaecraft settled in its final destination to study the Sun on Saturday.
In a significant stride for India's space exploration endeavours, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully maneuvered its Solar Mission Aditya-L1 into the Halo Orbit, garnering praise from NASA Scientist Amitabha Ghosh.
Ghosh, reflecting on India's scientific achievements, said, "India is right now in most of the areas where it's scientifically important. And then there is 'Gaganyaan,' which is the human space flight part, that is in the works right now. So, it's been a tremendous stride for the last 20 years. Going from not having a planetary science programme to where we stand today, and particularly after the success of Aditya, it's been a very remarkable journey." (ANI)
Lauding India's Solar Mission, Aditya-L1 on Saturday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that it is a great pride for all, similar to how the Chandrayaan program was.
He underlined that it is a great feat, as he has seen the space program for many years.
"I think it's a great feat... I have seen the Space program for many years. I have been a member of the Space Commission," Jaishankar told reporters.
"I think it is a moment of great pride for us just like the Chandrayaan program was..." he said today, on ISRO's Solar Mission Aditya-L1 entering Halo Orbit. (PTI)
The final moments before the entry of Aditya L1 into the Halo orbit, were filled with anxiety, however there was a surety about the mission's success, said ISRO chief S Somanath after the successful insertion of Aditya L1 near the Lagrange point on Saturday.
On the successful completion of the journey of ISRO's satellite near the Sun, Somanath said, “So it is very satisfying for us because it is the end of a long journey. 926 days from lift-off to now, it has reached the final point. So reaching the final point is always, an anxious moment, but we were very sure about it. So it happened as predicted. We are very happy."
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said, "We join the nation in celebrating an extraordinary milestone by our dedicated scientists and space engineers at ISRO, as India's first solar observatory Aditya-L1 reaches its destination."
Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said, "Wings of Fire! Congratulations to the dedicated scientists at ISRO for successfully inserting Bharat's first solar observatory Aditya-L1 into its intended destination. First the moon, now the sun... our space journey is unstoppable."
Information and Broadcasting Minister Anruag Thakur termed the Aditya-L1 spacecraft reaching its destination as "another historic moment in our quest for space exploration".
"Aditya-L1, India's first solar observatory, arrives at its location, completing one of the trickiest and most demanding space missions," Thakur said, referring to the firing of control engines aboard the spacecraft to steer it to the halo orbit.
"Many congratulations to Team ISRO for this spectacular achievement and bringing pride to the nation. Under the leadership of Hon'ble PM Shri Narendra Modi ji, we'll continue to explore novel areas of science for the betterment of mankind," Thakur said. (PTI)
Union Home Minister Amit Shah said, "Another milestone in Bharat's journey through space!! Our first solar observatory Aditya-L1 reaches its destination in space. It is a momentous event in history that takes us closer to our civilisational goal of achieving human welfare through excellence in science and technology."
On ISRO's Solar Mission Aditya-L1 entering Halo Orbit, Union Minister of State Science & Technology Dr Jitendra Singh says, "This is the third success story in the trilogy of success stories registered by team ISRO... Now we have a huge stake in space, we have several satellites in space... India is no longer to be led by other countries, we are ready to lead others and the space economy is also going to be an important part of India's growth story in the next 25 years..."
ISRO scientists involved in the Aditya-L1 project aim to gain insights into the impact of solar radiation on the increasing number of satellites in orbit, with a particular focus on phenomena affecting ventures like Elon Musk's Starlink communications network.
On ISRO's Solar Mission Aditya-L1 entering Halo Orbit, ISRO Chairman S Somanath says, "So it is very satisfying for us because it is the end of a long journey. 926 days from lift-off to now, it has reached the final point. So reaching the final point is always, an anxious moment, but we were very sure about it. So it happened as predicted. We are very happy."
"India is now proudly gazing the Sun ! 🇮🇳
We join the nation in celebrating an extraordinary milestone by our dedicated scientists and space engineers at @isro , as India’s first solar observatory #AdityaL1 reaches its destination.
India began its journey to sun in 2006, when our scientists proposed a solar observatory with a single instrument for the Sun. In July 2013, ISRO selects the seven payloads for the Aditya-L1 mission.
This achievement is a testament to the vision, commitment and sincere efforts by our founders who made sure that India’s space research becomes a vital part of nation building and social development."
"I I think it's a great feat... I have seen the Space program for many years. I have been a member of the Space Commission. I think a moment of great pride for us just like the Chandrayaan program," said external affairs minister S Jaishankar to news agency ANI.
“Another grand feat accomplished by ISRO! As part of India’s maiden solar mission, Aditya L1, the observatory has been placed in the final orbit and reached its destination at Lagrange Point 1. Congratulations to the entire Indian scientist community for the great achievement! This mission will enhance our knowledge of the Sun-Earth System and benefit the entire humanity. Significant participation of women scientists in ISRO missions takes women empowerment too onto a higher orbit."
ISRO will now perform periodic manoeuvres to keep the spacecraft in the intended orbit so that it can employ the seven payloads it has carried to observe the photosphere, chromosphere, and the outermost layers of the Sun (the corona) using electromagnetic and particle detectors.
"Greetings from Aditya-L1!
I've safely arrived at Lagrange Point L1, 1.5 million km from my home planet. 🌍Excited to be far away, yet intimately connected to unravel the solar mysteries #ISRO"
I join nation in applauding extraordinary feat; we'll continue to pursue new frontiers of science: PM Modi on Aditya L-1.
Union Minister for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh has tweeted, “From Moon walk to Sun Dance! What a glorious turn of year for Bharat! Under the visionary leadership of PM @narendramodi , yet another success story scripted by Team #ISRO. #AdityaL1 reaches its final orbit to discover the mysteries of Sun-Earth connection."
India creates yet another landmark. India’s first solar observatory Aditya-L1 reaches it destination. It is a testament to the relentless dedication of our scientists in realising among the most complex and intricate space missions. I join the nation in applauding this extraordinary feat. We will continue to pursue new frontiers of science for the benefit of humanity.
Magnetometer payload is capable of measuring interplanetary magnetic fields at the L1 point. The payload is developed at Laboratory for Electro Optics Systems, Bengaluru.
Sun, a hot glowing ball of hydrogen and helium gases, is the nearest star and the largest object in the solar system, whose estimated age is 4.5 billion years. It is about 150 million-km from Earth, and is the source of energy for the entire solar system. Without solar energy, life on Earth, as we know, can not exist. The gravity of the sun holds all the objects of the solar system together.
Aditya Solar wind Particle EXperiment and Plasma Analyser Package for Aditya payloads are designed to study the solar wind and energetic ions, as well as their energy distribution. ASPEX is developed at Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad. PAPA is developed at Space Physics Laboratory, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram.
Solar Low Energy X-ray Spectrometer and High Energy L1 Orbiting X-ray Spectrometer are designed to study the X-ray flares from the Sun over a wide X-ray energy range. Both these payloads are developed at U R Rao Satellite Centre, Bengaluru.
The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C57) launched the Aditya-L1 spacecraft from the second launch pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), Sriharikota, on September 2 last year. After a flight duration of 63 minutes and 20 seconds, it was successfully injected into an elliptical orbit of 235x19500 km around the Earth. The spacecraft underwent a series of maneuvers thereafter and headed Sun-Earth Lagrange Point 1(L1), having escaped the Earth's sphere of influence.
The seven payloads of Aditya L1 are indigenously developed by different laboratories in the country. Its VELC instrument is made at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bangalore; SUIT instrument at Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pune; ASPEX instrument at Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad; PAPA payload at Space Physics Laboratory, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram; SoLEXS and HEL1OS payloads at U R Rao Satellite Centre, Bangalore, and the Magnetometer payload at the Laboratory for Electro Optics Systems, Bangalore.
Aditya-L1, described as a “satellite dedicated to the comprehensive study of the Sun," was successfully launched by the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C57) on September 2, 2023. Representing the first space-based observatory class Indian solar mission, Aditya-L1 is specifically designed for the in-depth study of the Sun.
Aditya-L1 is anticipated to remain for the next five years. Situated at a distance of 1.5 million km from Earth, the Aditya-L1 satellite, launched from Sriharikota on September 2, will execute a crucial manoeuvre upon reaching L1.
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According to ISRO officials, the spacecraft will be placed in a halo orbit around Lagrange point 1 (L1) of the Sun-Earth system, about 1.5 million km from the Earth. The L1 point is about one per cent of the total distance between the Earth and the Sun.
The suits of Aditya L1 payloads are expected to provide the "most crucial information" to understand the problem of coronal heating, coronal mass ejection, pre-flare and flare activities and their characteristics, dynamics of space weather, and propagation of particles and fields, officials said.
The major science objectives of the Aditya-L1 mission are:
- Study of the Solar upper atmospheric (chromosphere and corona) dynamics.
- Study of chromospheric and coronal heating, physics of the partially ionized plasma, initiation of the coronal mass ejections, and flares.
- Observe the in-situ particle and plasma environment, providing data for the study of particle dynamics from the Sun.
- Physics of the solar corona and its heating mechanism.
- Diagnostics of the coronal and coronal loops plasma: Temperature, velocity and density.
- Development, dynamics and origin of coronal mass ejections (CMEs).
- Identify the sequence of processes that occur at multiple layers (chromosphere, base and extended corona) which eventually leads to solar eruptive events.
- Magnetic field topology and magnetic field measurements in the solar corona.
- Drivers for space weather (origin, composition and dynamics of solar wind).
A maneuver that would last only a few seconds will see a 180-degree flip of the spacecraft Aditya L1. This brings the thrusters to the front to slow down the spacecraft while aiming for a different orbit.
Aditya L1's liquid apogee motors are currently in a hibernated state due to the cold space environment, since its last firing that was a couple of months ago.
When ISRO will commanded the motors, they will instantly fire for the specific duration and perform the manoeuvre precisely at that particular moment. However, this execution requires precision to avoid overdoing, underdoing or mistiming the motor firing.
If the spacecraft fails to perform the manoeuvre in case of overfiring or underfiring of the engine and misses the sweet spot in the expected orbit range then there would be trouble. The spacecraft may miss the gravity capture by the L1 point and enter a higher orbit throwing it off the desired orbit. This would lead to higher fuel consumption which is very crucial for longer mission life.
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Aditya L1 Mission: The Aditya-L1 satellite, India's first space-based solar observatory, is scheduled to reach its designated orbit at 4 pm on January 6th.
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The spacecraft carries seven payloads to observe the photosphere, chromosphere and the outermost layers of the Sun (the corona) using electromagnetic and particle and magnetic field detectors.
According to ISRO, the Aditya L1 satellite will be placed in a halo orbit around Lagrange point 1 (L1) of the Sun-Earth system, about 1.5 million km from the Earth.
The L1 point is about one per cent of the total distance between the Earth and the Sun.
A satellite in a halo orbit around the L1 point has the major advantage of continuously viewing the Sun without any occultations/eclipses, they said, adding, this will provide a greater advantage in observing solar activities and its effect on space weather in real time.
