📷 Image Credits: Punjab News Express
India’s solar observatory, Aditya-L1 spacecraft, has achieved a significant milestone by completing its first halo orbit around the Sun-Earth Lagrange Point 1 (L1), according to officials at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The spacecraft was launched into a low earth orbit (LEO) on September 2, the previous year by the Indian rocket Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle – XL (PSLV-XL) variant. Aditya-L1 took 178 days to complete a revolution around the L1 point, with rigorous station-keeping maneuvers conducted to maintain its trajectory and orbit. The spacecraft’s journey around the Sun-Earth L1 Lagrangian point involved modeling complex dynamics to accurately plan orbit maneuvers. Aditya-L1 is dedicated to studying the Sun’s photosphere, chromosphere, and corona using electromagnetic, particle, and magnetic field detectors. ISRO’s state-of-the-art flight dynamics software developed in-house for the Aditya-L1 mission was validated through the successful completion of the third station-keeping maneuver. With seven payloads on board, Aditya-L1 will provide vital insights into solar physics and space weather over the next five years, showcasing India’s capabilities in space missions and interplanetary exploration.
