Aditya L1 spacecraft sets off for its final destination

Shubhadeep Choudhury

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New Delhi, September 19

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Tuesday successfully placed the Aditya L1 spacecraft outside earth’s gravitational sphere of influence and on a trajectory that will take it to the Sun-Earth L1 point.

The spacecraft, India’s first space-based solar observatory, will be injected into an orbit around L1 (Lagrange Point 1) through a manoeuvre after about 110 days.

The 1,475 kg satellite, equipped with seven instruments to study the sun, will cover the 15 lakh km distance between the insertion point and its destination by travelling at a speed of 30 km/second. Propulsion to the spacecraft will be provided by the gravitational force of the sun.

Launched from Sriharikota on September 3 and placed in an earth-bound orbit, Aditya L1 underwent four orbit raising manoeuvres over a period of 16 days to give it the necessary velocity to escape the earth’s gravity and set off for L1 point.

The L1 point of the earth-sun system affords an uninterrupted view of the sun and is currently home to the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory Satellite (SOHO), a joint enterprise of NASA and ESA (European Space Agency).

“Off to Sun-Earth L1 point!

“The Trans-Lagrangean Point 1 Insertion (TL1I) maneuvre is performed successfully.

“The spacecraft is now on a trajectory that will take it to the Sun-Earth L1 point. It will be injected into an orbit around L1 through a maneuver after about 110 days.

“This is the fifth consecutive time ISRO has successfully transferred an object on a trajectory toward another celestial body or location in space,” the Indian Space Research Organisation said in a post on X.

Aditya-L1 Mission:
Off to Sun-Earth L1 point!

The Trans-Lagrangean Point 1 Insertion (TL1I) maneuvre is performed successfully.

The spacecraft is now on a trajectory that will take it to the Sun-Earth L1 point. It will be injected into an orbit around L1 through a maneuver… pic.twitter.com/H7GoY0R44I

— ISRO (@isro) September 18, 2023