• UGI USER
  • Jan 09, 2024
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ADITYA L1’S CONFIDENT ORBIT INSERTION

Why in the News?

  • Aditya L1, India’s solar observatory reached its destination , ,into a halo orbit around Sun-Earth Lagrangian Point L1.
  • Launched on September 2, it has covered a distance of 1.5 million km.
Source: Weather.com

About Aditya L1 :

  • Launched via : PSLV XL from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.
  • Aims to establish a solar observatory in a halo orbit around the L1 lagrangian point.
  • Aditya L1 has 12 thrusters for the final manoeuvre, with periodic orbit maintenance planned every 45 days.
  • Aditya L1 has fuel adequacy for over five years.
  • Payloads for Solar Examination:
  • Carries seven payloads for in-depth Sun observation.
  • Includes visible and X-ray spectrometers, a coronagraph, solar wind analyzers, energetic particle detectors, and magnetometers.
  • Science Objectives:
  • Focus on understanding coronal heating and solar wind acceleration.
  • Investigate initiation of Coronal Mass Ejection (CME), solar flares, and near-earth space weather.
  • Study coupling and dynamics of the solar atmosphere, along with solar wind distribution and temperature anisotropy.
About Lagrange Points

Definition: According to NASA , Lagrange Points represent locations in space where objects, once positioned, exhibit a tendency to remain stationary. These points occur when the gravitational forces exerted by two significant masses precisely balance the centripetal force necessary for a smaller object to co-move with them.

Source: NASA

·    Five positions in space where gravitational forces of two large bodies, like Earth and Sun, create stable points.

·    Denoted as L1 to L5.

·    L1 commonly used for solar observatories like Aditya L1.

·    L2 used for space telescopes and observatories.

·    L3, L4, and L5, less commonly used, form equilateral triangles with the large bodies, providing stable regions for satellite placement.