ISRO's Aditya-L1 spacecraft to enter final orbit at 4pm today
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is set to make history as its first solar mission—Aditya-L1—is slated to enter a halo orbit around the Sun-Earth Lagrange Point 1 (L1) at 4:00pm on Saturday. This will place the spacecraft about 1.5 million kilometers from Earth, allowing an unobstructed view of the Sun. The L1 point is about 1% of the distance between Earth and the Sun. Aditya-L1 has successfully completed a series of intricate orbital maneuvers during its 110-day journey.
What are the objectives of the mission?
Aditya-L1's goal is to explore the solar atmosphere, focusing on the chromosphere and corona. It will learn about coronal mass ejections (CMEs), solar flares, and the mysterious heating of the solar corona. Comprehending these solar events is essential because they can influence space weather, potentially affecting satellite operations, power grids, and telecommunications on Earth, too. Moreover, the halo orbit is crucial as it allows the Aditya-L1 spacecraft to avoid eclipses, ensuring uninterrupted solar observations free from Earth's magnetic field interference.
Aditya-L1 carries 7 sophisticated payloads
Aditya-L1 is equipped with seven advanced payloads that will help it achieve its objectives. The list includes Visible Emission Line Coronagraph (VELC), Plasma Analyser Package for Aditya (PAPA), Solar Low Energy X-ray Spectrometer (SoLEXS), Solar Low Energy X-ray Spectrometer (SoLEXS), High Energy L1 Orbiting X-ray Spectrometer (HEL1OS), Aditya Solar Wind Particle Experiment (ASPEX), magnetometers (MAG), and Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (SUIT). Equipped with these instruments, Aditya-L1 will explore the dynamics of the Sun's outer layers using electromagnetic and particle detectors.
Global significance of spacecraft's data
Once settled in its halo orbit, Aditya-L1 will begin a five-year mission to collect vital data on coronal heating, solar eruptions, and their impact on the interplanetary medium. ISRO Chairman S Somanath stated that the information gathered by Aditya-L1 will benefit not only India but also the global scientific community's understanding of solar dynamics. This mission is expected to offer the most comprehensive view of the Sun's influence on our space environment to date.
