New Delhi, Jan 5: Aditya L1, India's pioneering mission dedicated to study the Sun, is approaching its destination and is set to enter its final orbit on the evening of January 6.
Launched on September 2, the spacecraft is destined for a 'halo orbit' around Lagrange Point 1 (L1), a key point in the Sun-Earth system where gravitational forces reach a balance.
These Lagrange points, including L1, provide a relatively stable position for spacecraft observation of the Sun, situated about 1.5 million kilometers from Earth, merely 1 percent of the Earth-Sun distance. While Aditya L1 has already reached L1, a crucial maneuver scheduled for January 6 will position it precisely into its intended orbit.
The maneuver is a challenging one, involving the use of thrusters to alter the spacecraft's speed and trajectory. This marks the first attempt by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) at executing such a complex orbital maneuver.
Dibyendu Nandi, solar physicist and Chair of the Space Weather and Monitoring Committee for the Aditya L1 mission, emphasized the critical nature of this maneuver, with the possibility of multiple corrections and thruster firings if the initial attempt misses the intended orbit.
As of Wednesday, Aditya has spent 124 days in space, with scientific data collection initiated just 16 days into its journey on September 18. The spacecraft has already provided insights into high-energy X-rays of solar flares and full solar disc images. Aditya boasts seven scientific payloads, including instruments like VELC, SUIT, SoLEXS, and HEL1OS, designed for direct Sun tracking, as well as in-situ instruments such as ASPEX, PAPA, and Advanced Tri-axial High Resolution Digital Magnetometers.
The mission holds global significance, offering a comprehensive study of solar phenomena with instruments capable of examining the Sun at various wavelengths and studying radiation, particles, and magnetic fields. Aditya's coronagraph, positioned on the top deck, is set to operate once the spacecraft reaches L1, allowing scientists to closely examine the Sun's surface. This complements data from NASA and the European Space Agency's Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), the only other satellite currently located at L1.
The mission's uniqueness lies in its attempt to observe the corona with a smaller occulting disk, enabling a closer look at the beginning of the corona compared to previous missions. Professor R Ramesh from the Indian Institute of Astrophysics highlighted this breakthrough, emphasizing the importance of Aditya L1's coronagraph in achieving this feat.
