Aditya-L1: India's Solar Observer Embarks on Fourth Stage Journey
Aditya-L1’s Next Move: The ambitious Aditya-L1 project from India is preparing for its fourth stage as it continues its journey beyond Earth. The fourth stage, also referred to as the Earth-bound maneuver, is planned to begin on September 15 at around 2:00 AM Indian Standard Time.
This big maneuver will direct the spacecraft toward Lagrange Point 1 (L1), its ultimate goal. The Aditya L1 spacecraft will be in a halo orbit around the L1 point of the Sun-Earth system, which is around 1.5 million kilometers from Earth. It is possible to monitor the Sun nonstop from this unusual vantage point.
The mission depends on the next fourth stage maneuver that will bring it to Earth. The goal of ISRO engineers is to raise the spacecraft to its highest point, which is also the point in its orbit where it is closest to Earth, by expertly utilizing the gravitational pull of the planet.
Aditya-L1 Mission:
The third Earth-bound maneuvre (EBN#3) is performed successfully from ISTRAC, Bengaluru.ISRO’s ground stations at Mauritius, Bengaluru, SDSC-SHAR and Port Blair tracked the satellite during this operation.
The new orbit attained is 296 km x 71767 km.… pic.twitter.com/r9a8xwQ4My
— ISRO (@isro) September 9, 2023
This action comes after the third stage operation’s successful conclusion on September 10. The Joseph-Louis Lagrange-discovered L1 point is regarded as being the most important Lagrangian point for solar observation.
According to ISRO, a spacecraft positioned at Lagrange Point L1 and encircled by the gravitational field of the Earth on all sides may see the sun continuously without being interrupted by eclipses or planetary transits.
Aditya L1’s primary objective is to study solar activities. Aditya L1 is launched with the goal of reading solar activities and its impact on the solar system. Due to the spacecraft’s advantageous position, it will be possible to observe the Sun continuously without any interruptions or interference from lunar or Earthly occurrences. It is believed that it would offer helpful information and clear images as it gets closer to Lagrange Point 1.
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