On Saturday, Aditya L1, the first solar observatory in India, entered the Lagrange L1 point’s “Halo orbit.”
After Chandrayaan-3’s moon landing on the south pole, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) achieved another major milestone on Saturday when its first solar observatory, Aditya L1, entered the “Halo orbit” around the Lagrange L1 point! The spacecraft, carrying seven payloads, was launched over four months ago in September and has now traveled around 1.5 million kilometers from Earth.
Because of its advantageous location, scientists are able to observe the Sun continuously, giving them a clear perspective on how solar activity affects space weather in real time.
Investigating the physics of the solar corona and its heating mechanisms, solar wind acceleration, solar atmosphere dynamics, solar wind distribution and temperature anisotropy, and the causes of flares and Coronal Mass Ejections (CME) as well as near-Earth space weather are the main objectives.
After the last orbit injection, ISRO announced that the chosen halo orbit guarantees a five-year mission lifetime. This orbit minimizes the need for maneuvers related to station-keeping, which saves fuel and allows for an uninterrupted, uninterrupted view of the Sun.
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Around 4 p.m. on Saturday, ISRO released a statement confirming the Aditya-L1 solar observatory spacecraft’s successful Halo-Orbit Insertion (HOI). The last part of the maneuver was a quick fire of control engines.
Aditya L1’s exact location in the halo orbit has been attained, according to ISRO chairman S Somnath, although there are still adjustments needed to keep the satellite’s orientation stable. The satellite must be adjusted to a mandatory speed of thirty-one meters per second by the same day in order to prevent it from straying from its assigned spot.
-As the spacecraft entered the required orbital condition and passed through the XZ plane in the Sun-Earth-L1 revolving system, the insertion process began. According to ISRO, the goal of this maneuver was to achieve the necessary Y-velocity for the Halo orbit in the L1 rotational frame by nullifying the X and Z velocity components.
-A number of ISRO centers collaborated with UR Rao Satellite Centre (URSC) to produce Aditya-L1. The Indian laboratories IIA, IUCAA, and ISRO created the research payloads on board.
-After taking out on September 2 of last year, Aditya-L1 began a remarkable voyage towards the Sun-Earth-L1 Lagrange point by gradually enlarging its orbit with the assistance of the onboard propulsion system. During the Earth orbit phase, the apogee was raised by five liquid engine burns (LEB), which culminated in the trans-L1 injection (TL1I) maneuver.
-Space Applications Center Director Nilesh M. Desai stated to news agency ANI that the successful Halo Orbit Insertion occurred for approximately 220 seconds following the thrust fire and other activities. For five years, the satellite will function.
-Desai went on to say that India will have its solar observatory in 14 countries. He described the importance of the Visible Emission Line Coronagraph (VELC) as one of the spacecraft’s seven payloads. The Space Applications Centre constructed the control systems and back-end electronics, while the Indian Institute of Astrophysics created the front optics. The primary goal of VELC is to shed light on coronal mass ejections.
-Space Applications Center Director Nilesh M. Desai stated to news agency ANI that the successful Halo Orbit Insertion occurred for approximately 220 seconds following the thrust fire and other activities. For five years, the satellite will function.
-Desai went on to say that India will have its solar observatory in 14 countries. He described the importance of the Visible Emission Line Coronagraph (VELC) as one of the spacecraft’s seven payloads. The Space Applications Centre constructed the control systems and back-end electronics, while the Indian Institute of Astrophysics created the front optics. The primary goal of VELC is to shed light on coronal mass ejections.
This indicates that the spacecraft is in good operating order. Additionally, Nair stated, “Once it reaches a stable orbit, it will be able to conduct the in-depth observation of the photosphere, the solar winds, and related radiation, in addition to the solar corona phenomena.”