Days after the successful launch of the XPoSat mission, ISRO's Aditya-L1 satellite reached its final destination on Saturday, January 6. Aditya-L1 spacecraft, India's first space mission to study the Sun, has been positioned in a halo orbit around Lagrange point 1 (L1) of the Sun-Earth system, about 1.5 million km from the Earth.
ISRO Aditya-L1 took to X (former Twitter) and posted, "Greetings from Aditya-L1! I've safely arrived at Lagrange Point L1, 1.5 million km from my home planet. Excited to be far away, yet intimately connected to unravel the solar mysteries."
PM Modi lauded ISRO for its 'extraordinary feat'
Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to X, congratulated the country, and lauded the experts for their accomplishments. PM Modi wrote, "India creates yet another landmark. India's first solar observatory, Aditya-L1, reaches its destination. It is a testament to the relentless dedication of our scientists in realising among the most complex and intricate space missions. I join the nation in applauding this extraordinary feat. We will continue to pursue new frontiers of science for the benefit of humanity."
Aditya-L1 injected in a halo orbit around L1
The spacecraft will be positioned in a halo orbit around Lagrange point 1 (L1), around 1.5 million km from Earth, said ISRO's officials earlier. The L1 point is around 1 per cent of the total distance between the Earth and the Sun.
L1 point has the major advantage
According to researchers, the satellite in a halo orbit around the L1 point has the major advantage of continuously viewing the Sun without occultations/eclipses. Additionally, they asserted that this would provide a significant advantage in observing solar activity and its impact on space weather in real-time.
On September 2, 2023, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C57) launched the Aditya-L1 spacecraft from the second launch pad of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), Sriharikota. It was successfully injected into an elliptical orbit of 235x19500 kilometres around the Earth after a flight time of 63 minutes and 20 seconds.
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