Aditya-L1 Mission: ISRO Successfully Establishes Halo Orbit at L1 Point

 

Aditya-L1, India’s first solar mission, launched on September 2, 2023, and reached the L1 point on January 6, 127 days later. Because of its proximity to Earth—roughly 1.5 million kilometers—the spacecraft is able to continuously study the Sun from orbit.

The Aditya-L1 spacecraft has been placed in a halo orbit around the Lagrange point (L1) by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).

Scientists and engineers at ISRO Telemetry Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) in Bangalore carried out a firing maneuver to bring the spacecraft, which had traveled 1.5 million kilometers, into a halo orbit around L1.

S. Somnath, the chairman of ISRO, said that everything went as planned during the halo orbit entering procedure. He declared, “Today’s goal was to place Aditya L1 perfectly in the halo orbit. The spacecraft was getting closer to the halo orbit, but in order to precisely place it, we needed to make some tweaks. There was a chance that it would have strayed from this point if we hadn’t made those improvements today (L1). I’m simply saying that mathematically it could have been salvaged, but we made sure that wouldn’t happen since there were various contingencies.”

“So, the spacecraft’s entry into the halo orbit has been completed with extreme precision. Today, we have succeeded in making a very precise prediction based on our data of velocity and precise positioning.

India has reached yet another significant goal. Aditya-L1, India’s first solar observatory, has arrived at its location. This demonstrates the scientists’ unwavering commitment to completing the most difficult and demanding space missions. I applaud the country for this outstanding accomplishment. Prime Minister Modi wrote on Twitter, “We will keep pushing the frontiers of science for the good of humanity.At 4 PM, Aditya-L1 successfully entered the halo orbit, according to ISRO. This involved a brief period of thruster fire during the latter stage of the maneuvers.

“The Aditya-L1 spacecraft is in a brief orbit known as the halo orbit, which lasts for roughly 177.86 Earth days and circles continuously around the Earth-Sun line at a distance of about 1.5 million kilometers from Earth. This brief, three-dimensional halo orbit around L1 contains the Sun, Earth, and a spaceship. After the spacecraft entered orbit, ISRO stated, “This particular halo orbit has been chosen to ensure a mission lifespan of 5 years, minimize station-keeping maneuvers, and thus reduce fuel consumption while ensuring continuous, uninterrupted viewing of the Sun.”

It went on to say that Aditya-L1’s arrival into this halo orbit signifies a critical mission phase that requires exact navigation and control.

A successful insertion further involved constant monitoring along with the adjustment of the spacecraft’s speed and position by using onboard thrusters. not only demonstrates ISRO’s capabilities in such complex orbital maneuvers but also instills confidence in handling future interplanetary missions,” the space agency added.

The first Indian space-based solar observatory, Aditya-L1, was launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on September 2, 2023.

After that, ISTRAC conducted four Earth-related maneuvers between September 3 and September 15.

On September 19, Aditya-L1 conducted its first Trans-Lagrangean 1 conjunction maneuver, which marks the beginning of its 110-day launch path around the destination point,The distance from Earth to L1 is about 1% of the Earth-Sun distance.

Aditya-L1 carries seven payloads for inspecting the solar corona, chromosphere, and outermost layer of the Sun (corona) using electrical, magnetic, and particle detectors.Utilizing the unique advantageous point of L1, four payloads will directly observe the Sun, while the remaining three will study particles and fields at L1.According to ISRO, the spacecraft will spend its entire mission lifespan maneuvering irregularly in a flat region that connects the Earth and the Sun, orbiting around L1.

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Aditya-L1 Mission: ISRO Successfully Establishes Halo Orbit at L1 Point

What are Lagrange Points?

According to ISRO, Lagrange Points in space are locations where a small object can be placed and stay there if positioned correctly. These points are utilized in space missions for two-body gravitational systems like the Sun and Earth to enable spacecraft to remain at these locations with minimal fuel consumption. For two-body gravitational systems, there are a total of five Lagrange points, denoted as L1, L2, L3, L4, and L5.

What is the L1 Point?

The L1 point is located 1.5 million kilometers from Earth, halfway between the Sun and Earth lines. Roughly 1% of Earth’s distance is separated from the Sun by L1. The main benefit of positioning satellites in the halo orbit around L1 is that it allows for uninterrupted and uninterrupted viewing of the Sun, which is very useful for monitoring solar activity.

Timeline: Journey to Aditya-L1’s Lagrangian Point (L1)

Currently, there are four operational spacecraft at L1: Wind, Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE), and Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR).

September 2

Aditya-L1 spacecraft launched by PSLV was placed in an elliptical orbit around Earth, measuring 235×19500 kilometers.

After that, ISTRC conducted four Earth-related maneuvers between September 3 and September 15.

3 September

The spacecraft’s first maneuver put it in an orbit measuring 245 kilometers by 22459 kilometers.

September 5th

The spacecraft’s second maneuver put it in an orbit measuring 282 kilometers by 40225 kilometers.

September 10

The spacecraft’s orbit measured 296 kilometers by 71767 kilometers after the third maneuver.

September 15th

The spacecraft’s orbit measured 256 kilometers by 121973 kilometers after the fourth maneuver.

September 19

Aditya-L1 started its 110-day launch path around the target point, L1, upon passing through the Trans-Lagrangean 1 conjunction maneuver.

The Aditya-L1 spacecraft has been deployed by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) into a halo orbit around the Lagrangian point (L1).satellite offers a major advantage in monitoring solar activity without obstruction by continuously seeing the Sun without any disruption or eclipse. Aditya-L1 is equipped with seven payloads that use electrical, magnetic, and particle detectors to examine the solar corona, chromosphere, and outermost layer of the Sun.Over the course of its five-year mission, Aditya-L1 is projected to yield vital information on coronal mass ejections, pre-flare and flare events, their features, and space weather dynamics.