ISRO’s Aditya-L1 satellite is on the verge of a historic orbit insertion around Sun-Earth Lagrangian Point L1 after a 4-month journey. Launched on September 2, 2022, the solar observatory will fire its thrusters today.
India’s Aditya-L1 Solar Satellite Set to Reach Final Destination
After a 4-month journey, ISRO’s Aditya-L1 satellite is set to be injected into orbit around the Sun-Earth Lagrangian Point L1 on January 6th. On September 2, 2022, ISRO launched Aditya-L1, India’s first dedicated solar observatory, on a 126-day trip covering 3.7 million km. The spacecraft’s target is a gravitationally balanced orbit around L1, a point 1.5 million km from Earth towards the Sun. ISRO confirmed that on January 6th at 4 pm IST, Aditya-L1 will fire its thrusters to enter this “halo orbit.”
ISRO says all seven of Aditya’s scientific instruments will be temporarily switched off to conserve fuel during the delicate manoeuvre. If successful, the 1,475 kg satellite will gain an unobstructed view of the Sun’s upper atmosphere, magnetic storms, and other activity. Engineers will then switch the instruments back on over the following weeks once orbit is stabilized.
Studying Our Star and Space Weather From Up Close
From L1, the Aditya-L1 satellite will continuously monitor the Sun over a 5-year mission, beaming back images and data. Its unique vantage point, closer than any prior Indian spacecraft, will help reveal mysteries about solar storms, flares, and other eruptions. Understanding these violent solar events is key for predicting impacts on satellites, power grids, and other space- or ground-based infrastructure.
Aditya’s Visible Emission Line Coronagraph (VELC) instrument blocks the Sun’s bright disk to image its faint outer atmosphere for the first time with an Indian payload. The mission’s six other instruments, including cameras and spectrometers across multiple wavelengths, will provide complementary views into our star. Together, Aditya-L1 will act as an unblinking eye and sentry safeguarding India’s space assets from the Sun’s wrath.
By continuously monitoring the Sun’s activity and providing early warnings, Aditya-L1 will help scientists temporarily put satellites into safe mode before charged particles can damage sensitive electronics.
The mission also promises to unlock astrophysics breakthroughs in solar physics mysteries that have puzzled scientists for decades. What causes coronal mass ejections? How is the solar wind accelerated? Why is the Sun’s outer atmosphere hotter than its surface? Aditya-L1’s vantage point and instrument suite aim to find answers that could radically update models of our closest star and better predict impacts on space weather. Its success would cement India’s status as an established space power.
