• UGI USER
  • Jan 06, 2024
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ADITYA L1

Why in the News?

  • Aditya L1, ISRO’s mission to study Sun, set to be placed in final orbit.
Source: Ajj tak

About Aditya L1

  • Aditya-L1 represents India’s inaugural space-based observatory-class solar mission, aimed at studying the Sun from a considerable distance of 1.5 million kilometers. It is anticipated to take about 125 days to reach the L1 point.
  • Aditya-L1 follows ISRO’s AstroSat (2015) as the second mission in its astronomy observatory-class.
  • The mission’s travel duration is notably shorter than India’s previous Mars orbiter mission, Mangalyaan.
  • The spacecraft’s intended orbit is a halo orbit situated around the Lagrangian point 1 (L1) within the Sun-Earth system.

Lagrange Points

Source: NASA
  • Lagrange Points are specific locations in space where the gravitational forces of two substantial celestial bodies, like the Sun and Earth, counterbalance each other.
  • These points allow small objects, such as spacecraft, to maintain their orbits with minimal fuel consumption.
  • There exist five Lagrange Points, each characterized by unique attributes, facilitating stable orbits for smaller masses.

In the Sun-Earth system, L1 is particularly significant for solar observations. Placing a satellite in a halo orbit around L1 offers continuous unobstructed views of the Sun, avoiding eclipses or occultation.