ISRO has done many wonders in previous years including Chandrayaan 3’s successful landing on the moon and a new milestone was achieved at the beginning of the year with the insertion of Aditya L1 in the orbit of the sun.
Aditya-L1 refers to a solar observation mission by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The Aditya-L1 mission is designed to study the Sun and its outermost layer, the solar corona. The primary objective is to enhance our understanding of the Sun’s behavior and its impact on space weather.
The satellite has various scientific instruments, including a Visible Emission Line Coronagraph (VELC) to study the solar corona. It aims to provide valuable data for improving our ability to predict and understand solar activities that can affect Earth’s space environment.
Aditya L1, which is India’s first space-based observatory to study the Sun, has been placed in a halo-shaped orbit around the Sun-Earth Lagrange Point 1. The point is around 1.5 million km from the Earth, in the direction of the Sun.
Long Journey of Aditya L1 to the Sun
As the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully placed the Aditya-L1 spacecraft into its destination orbit, the space agency’s chief S Somanath called it an “end of a long journey”, adding that it was an anxious moment, but they were sure it would be successful. The ISRO chief also said that the mission was “complex” and that they had overcome the complexity precisely.
“126 days from lift-off to now, it has reached the final point. So reaching the final point is always, an anxious moment, but we were very sure about it. So, it happened as predicted. We are very happy,” he said.
The ISRO chief added, “It was a complex mission, I won’t say challenging mission. Challenges are something that we love; complexities are something that we have to overcome. Today, we have overcome the complexity, and we were able to achieve that very precisely…Payloads are working very well, but now many more things are to be done on payloads to make sure that the data is reliable and usable, so that will start from now.”
Ex-ISRO chief Dr G Madhavan Nair speaks on Aditya-L1 entering halo orbit
“The thrusters be fired in such a way that the spacecraft takes a stable orbit at the Lagrangian point from which the observation of the sun can be made uninterrupted, continuously for next few years. The journey commenced in September and while it is going towards the sun, most of the instruments have been calibrated, and they have sent some x-ray images as well as other particle counts as well. So that shows the spacecraft is in healthy condition. And once it is in a stable orbit, it will be able to carry out the indented observation of the solar corona phenomena as well as the photosphere and the various activities, especially the solar winds and related radiation,” Dr Nair said to ANI.
PM Modi’s Euphoric Reaction on Aditya L1.
PM Modi is over the moon and cannot stop himself from expressing his happiness. In a post on X on Saturday, the PM 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 realizing 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.”
India creates yet another landmark. India’s first solar observatory Aditya-L1 reaches it’s 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…
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 6, 2024
Smt Droupadi Murmu, President of India gives Reaction on Aditya L1
She gives congratulations and talks about women’s empowerment ‘’Another grand feat accomplished by ISRO! As part of India’s maiden solar mission, Aditya L1, the observatory has been placed in the final orbit and reached its destination at Lagrange Point 1. Congratulations to the entire Indian scientist community for the great achievement! This mission will enhance our knowledge of the Sun-Earth System and benefit the entire humanity. Significant participation of women scientists in ISRO missions takes women empowerment too onto a higher orbit.’’
Another grand feat accomplished by ISRO! As part of India’s maiden solar mission, Aditya L1, the observatory has been placed in the final orbit and reached its destination at Lagrange Point 1. Congratulations to the entire Indian scientist community for the great achievement!…
— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) January 6, 2024
In a nutshell, many more developments can be expected from ISRO; many more advancements can be awaited in future endeavors.