India's Maiden Solar Mission Aditya L1 Reaches Its Final Destination
After its four-month long journey, Aditya L1, India’s maiden solar mission reached its final destination. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India “creates yet another landmark”. On his X (formerly twitter), Mr. Modi said Aditya L1 is the testament to the relentless dedication of our scientists in realising among the most complex and intricate space missions”.
India creates yet another landmark. India’s first solar observatory Aditya-L1 reaches it destination. It is a testament to the relentless dedication of our scientists in realising among the most complex and intricate space missions. I join the nation in applauding this…
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 6, 2024
Earlier, the ISRO chief has said the spacecraft will enter the Lagrange point (L1) on January 6th. He said, “Aditya L1 will enter the L1 point on January 6. That is what is expected, exact time will be announced at appropriate time”. He also added that when Aditya L1 reaches the L1 point, its engine should be fired once again to that “it does not go further. It will go to that point, and once it reaches that point, it will rotate around it and will be trapped at L1”. He said the data obtained by Aditya L1 will very important not only for India but for the entire world and said the data obtained will be very useful in understanding the dynamics of the Sun.
ISRO launched Aditya L1 to study the happenings around the Sun. The spacecraft will study the outer layer of Sun from the Lagrange point which is approximately 1.5 million km or 0.01 au away from the Earth. The L1 point offers a protective shield from the Sun’s radiation and gives an uninterrupted view of the Sun, making it a perfect place for the solar observatories. Before Aditya L1, China’s Chang’e-5 and European Space Agency (ESA) and US’s National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) joint mission SOHO (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory) has reached the L1 point.
India will now join a select group of countries that are already studying the Sun. America’s Nasa space agency has been watching the Sun since 1960s. Japan has launched its maiden solar mission in 1981. European Space Agency (ESA) joined to observe the Sun in 1990s. in 202,0, NASA and ESA joined hands and launched a Solar Orbiter, which is closely watching SUN and collecting data which according to the scientists, will help understand the dynamic behaviour of the Sun. NASA’s new spacecraft, Parker Solar Probe has made history in 2021 by becoming the first to fly through corona, the outer atmosphere of the Sun.
