Reaching out to the Sun: Aditya L1

"We sit in the mud...and reach for stars" -Ivan Turgenev

Aditya L1 is the first Indian Mission dedicated to studying the Sun, our very own star. It was launched on the 2nd of September and it completed the 4th Earth Bound maneuvre on 15th of September, 2023. The name Aditya means the Sun in Sanskrit and L1 denotes the first Lagrange position of the Sun-Earth about 1.5 million km away from the Earth. 

                                            The satellite was launched using the PSLV- C57 launch vehicle and will be used to study the coronagraphy of the Sun.  The satellite will complete 5 maneuvres around the Earth and will then undergo a Trans-Lagrangian1 Insertion that will mark its 110 day journey to its destination. As it arrives there, another maneuvre sets it in place in an equilibrium between the Sun and The Earth.

                                               Why is it placed at the L1 Lagrange point ? The answer is quite simple. Firstly it gives an uninterrupted view of the Sun. Sun's magnetic and solar effects can be seen without the influence of Earth's magnetic field. Secondly, this position enables more satellite efficiency. The Lagrange point is a gravitationally stable location and as such the satellite would not require any additional corrections to maintain itself in the orbit. 

                                               The satellite consists of hard and soft X-Ray Spectrometers, Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescopes and Visible Line Emission Coronagraph for ex situ remote sensing.  The in situ payload consists of a Aditya Solar wind Particle Experiment (ASPEX), Plasma Analyzer Package and Advanced Triaxial High Resolution Digital Magnetometers. All these instruments are used in studying the solar corona and solar wind, its composition and effects. 

Fore more information

image credits: ISRO

- Namitha (MS22118)