India’s Solar Observatory Aditya-L1 Completes Halo Orbit at L1: ISRO

Historical Context: India’s space exploration efforts have been marked by significant milestones, with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) playing a pivotal role. Established in 1969, ISRO has achieved numerous successes, including the Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan) and the Chandrayaan missions to the Moon. The Aditya-L1 mission, dedicated to solar observation, is another landmark in India’s space journey, reflecting the nation’s growing capabilities in space science and technology.

News Article: NEW DELHI: The Aditya-L1 spacecraft, India’s dedicated solar observatory, has successfully completed its first halo orbit around the Sun-Earth Lagrange Point 1 (L1), as announced by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

Launched into low Earth orbit (LEO) on September 2 of the previous year by the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle - XL (PSLV-XL) variant, Aditya-L1 aims to study the Sun’s various layers and phenomena.

The Sun-Earth L1 point is a unique location where the gravitational forces of the Sun and Earth balance each other, allowing the spacecraft to remain in a stable position without gravitating towards either body.

The spacecraft was inserted into its targeted halo orbit on January 6 of this year. Completing a revolution around the L1 point took the Aditya-L1 spacecraft 178 days, according to ISRO.

During its journey in the halo orbit, the spacecraft encountered various perturbing forces that could have deviated it from its intended path. To maintain its orbit, Aditya-L1 underwent two station-keeping maneuvers on February 22 and June 7.

On Tuesday, the spacecraft conducted its third station-keeping maneuver, allowing it to continue into the second halo orbit path around L1, as confirmed by ISRO.

“This journey of Aditya-L1 around the Sun-Earth L1 Lagrangian point involves modeling complex dynamics. Understanding the various perturbing forces acting on the spacecraft helped in accurately determining the trajectory and planning precise orbit maneuvers,” stated ISRO.

The third maneuver also validated the state-of-the-art flight dynamics software developed in-house at the U R Rao Satellite Centre (URSC) for the Aditya-L1 mission.

Aditya-L1, equipped with seven payloads, is dedicated to studying the Sun. It will observe the photosphere, chromosphere, and the Sun’s outermost layers (the corona) using electromagnetic, particle, and magnetic field detectors.

Summary in Bullet Points:

• Mission Name: Aditya-L1, India’s solar observatory.
• Launch Date: September 2 of the previous year.
• Launch Vehicle: Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle - XL (PSLV-XL) variant.
• Target: Sun-Earth Lagrange Point 1 (L1).
• Orbit Insertion: January 6 of this year.
• Orbit Completion: First halo orbit completed in 178 days.
• Station-Keeping Maneuvers: Conducted on February 22, June 7, and a third on Tuesday.
• Objective: Study the Sun’s photosphere, chromosphere, and corona.
• Payloads: Seven, including electromagnetic, particle, and magnetic field detectors.
• Significance: Validated in-house developed flight dynamics software at URSC-ISRO.
• Historical Context: Reflects India’s growing capabilities in space science and technology, following successes like Mangalyaan and Chandrayaan missions.