GUWAHATI: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) achieved a significant milestone as its inaugural solar mission, Aditya L1, completed its final manoeuvre, successfully entering its designated orbit on January 6.
ISRO Chief S Somanath had earlier confirmed to media that Aditya-L1 was scheduled to reach its Lagrangian Point 1 (L1) on January 6 at 4 PM, marking a crucial phase in the mission.
Launched on September 2 last year, Aditya L1 underwent a series of manoeuvres, including four earth-bound maneuvers and a Trans-Lagrangean Point 1 Insertion (TL1I) maneuvre, all of which were executed successfully. The primary objective of the mission is to observe the Sun's corona and gain insights into its extreme heat. Aditya L1 accomplishes this from a halo orbit around the Sun-Earth Lagrangian point (L1), situated approximately 1.5 million km from Earth.
The Lagrange Point represents a region where gravitational forces between the Earth and the Sun find equilibrium. Though complete neutralisation is unattainable due to the gravitational influence of celestial bodies like the Moon, Mars, and Venus, the L1 point provides a stable position ideal for observational purposes.