ISRO Set to Place Aditya L1 Spacecraft in Final Destination Orbit: All You Need to Know

The final stage of positioning the Aditya L1 spacecraft, India's first space-based solar observatory, will be carried out by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Saturday. The spacecraft is set to be placed in its final orbit, approximately 1.5 million kilometres from Earth. ISRO authorities clarified that Aditya L1 will be situated in a halo orbit circling the Lagrange point 1 (L1) of the Sun-Earth system, which is just 1% of the full distance between Earth and the Sun. This positional advantage grants an uninterrupted view of the Sun, aiding real-time observation of solar activities and their effect on space weather. "Saturday's planned manoeuvre will secure the Aditya L1 in a halo orbit around L1. If not performed, the spacecraft could potentially continue its journey, possibly towards the Sun," an ISRO official shared with the press on Friday. Launched aboard the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV C57) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on September 2nd last year, the Aditya L1 spacecraft was successfully placed into an elliptical orbit around Earth after 63 minutes and 20 seconds of flight. Afterward, the spacecraft performed several manoeuvres to escape Earth's gravitational pull and head towards the Sun-Earth Lagrange Point 1(L1). The spacecraft is equipped with seven payloads to observe various layers of the Sun using a combination of electromagnetic, particle and magnetic field detectors. By leveraging its unique position at L1, Aditya L1 will provide vital data to understand the phenomena of coronal heating, coronal mass ejection, pre-flare and flare activities, space weather dynamics and propagation of particles and fields, the space agency elaborated.