The Aditya-L1 spacecraft, the nation's first mission to explore the sun from space, completed its fourth Earth-bound manoeuvre during the early hours of Friday. The X platform, the official account of Indian Space Research Organisation, made the announcement.
The mission, known as the fourth earth-bound Manoeuvre, proceeded without a hitch, marking yet another achievement in the mission's ongoing journey. In this crucial phase, ISRO ground stations in Mauritius, Bengaluru, SDSC-Shar and Port Blair meticulously followed the satellite. The transportable terminal in the Fiji islands, dedicated to the Aditya-L1 mission, provided vital support for post-burn operations.
The spacecraft's successful maneuvers have led to a new orbit with dimensions of 256 km by 121,973 km. The next critical step of the trans-Lagrangian Point 1 insertion, which serves as a send-off from Earth, is scheduled for September 19 at approximately 02:00 Hrs. Aditya-L1 stands as India's first space-based observatory, designated to study the sun from a halo orbit located around the first Sun-Earth Lagrangian point, positioned roughly 1.5 million kilometres away from Earth.
Previously, the first, second, and third earth-bound manoeuvres were successfully executed. The Spacecraft's pivotal maneuvers are pivotal during the 16-day journey around Earth, facilitating the spacecraft in gaining the necessary velocity for its journey toward the L1 Lagrange point.
Now completing four Earth-bound orbital maneuvers, Aditya-L1 is ready for its next challenge: the Trans-Lagrangian 1 insertion manoeuvre. This marks the beginning of the nearly 110-day journey to the destination orbiting the L1 Lagrange point.
Several critical manoeuvres will bound Aditya L1 to an orbit around L1 - a gravitational equilibrium point between Earth and the Sun - resulting in a gravitational balance point between Earth and the Sun. The satellite will continue to orbit L1 in an irregularly shaped orbit, positioned perpendicular to the line connecting Earth and the Sun.
On 2 September, ISRO's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle successfully launched the Aditya-L1 spacecraft from the second launch pad of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. After a flight time of 63 minutes and 20 seconds, the spacecraft was injected into an elliptical orbit around the Earth that was situated at 235x19,500 km.
The strategic placement of a spacecraft in a halo orbit around the L1 point provides a unique advantage: it ensures uninterrupted Sun observation without any occultations or eclipses. The data is available for real-time analysis of solar activities and their impact on space weather.
Aditya-L1 has seven scientific payloads, all developed indigenously by ISRO and national research laboratories, including the Indian Institute of Astrophysics in Bengaluru and the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics in Pune. These payloads are designed to detect the photosphere, chromosphere, and outermost layers of the Sun using electromagnetic particle and magnetic field detectors.
The unique vantage point of Aditya L1 at L1 allows four payloads to directly observe the sun, while the remaining three payloads are involved in in-situ studies of particles and fields at Lagrange point L1. The advancement of scientific instruments delivers crucial insights into coronal Heating, coronal mass ejections, pre-flare and flare activities, space weather dynamics, and the propagation of particles and fields.
The mission's objectives are consistent with scientists' quest to comprehend the intricate dynamics of space surrounding the Earth-Sun system, with the Lagrange points serving as optimal locations for spacecraft to operate with reduced fuel consumption.
The Lagrange points offer the ideal balance between the gravitational pull of the two massive bodies, the Sun and the Earth, and the centripetal force required for small objects to remain in synchronized motion with them, named after the renowned Italian-French mathematician Joseph-Louis Lagrange.
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