Aditya-L1 Mission Successfully Performs Fourth Earth-Bound Manoeuvre
In the early hours of September 15, the Aditya-L1 mission achieved yet another milestone with the successful completion of its fourth Earth-bound manoeuvre (EBN#4). This significant step forward brings the mission closer to its ultimate goal of studying the sun’s outer atmosphere and solar magnetic fields.
ISRO’s ground stations at Mauritius, Bengaluru, SDSC-SHAR, and Port Blair played a crucial role in tracking the satellite during this operation. Additionally, a transportable terminal, currently stationed in the Fiji islands specifically for the Aditya-L1 mission, provided support for post-burn operations.
The latest manoeuvre resulted in the spacecraft reaching a new orbit of 256 km x 121973 km. This achievement opens up exciting possibilities for the scientific discoveries that can be made during the remainder of the mission.
In a tweet posted by ISRO on X, they shared the news of the successful manoeuvre and highlighted the importance of this milestone for the Aditya-L1 mission.
“Aditya-L1 Mission: The fourth Earth-bound manoeuvre (EBN#4) is performed successfully. ISRO’s ground stations at Mauritius, Bengaluru, SDSC-SHAR, and Port Blair tracked the satellite during this operation, while a transportable terminal currently stationed in the Fiji islands for Aditya-L1 will support post-burn operations. The new orbit attained is 256 km x 121973 km,” ISRO posted.
The Aditya-L1 mission, India’s first solar observatory mission, was successfully launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on September 2 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. Since then, it has been steadily progressing towards its objectives.
With this latest milestone achieved, attention now turns to the next manoeuvre in the mission: the Trans-Lagrangian Point 1 Insertion (TL1I). Scheduled for September 19, 2023, around 02:00 Hrs. IST, this manoeuvre will provide the vital boost needed to propel Aditya-L1 on its 110-day trajectory towards its destination around the L1 Lagrange point.
Upon arrival at the L1 point, another manoeuvre will secure Aditya-L1 in an orbit around L1—a unique gravitational location that maintains a stable balance between the gravitational forces of the Earth and the Sun. From this vantage point, the satellite will spend its mission life orbiting around L1 in an irregularly shaped orbit, positioned roughly perpendicular to the line connecting the Earth and the Sun.
The Aditya-L1 mission seeks to unravel the mysteries of space weather and gain a better understanding of the sun’s influence on our planet. By studying the solar corona—the outermost layer of the sun’s atmosphere—and the solar magnetic fields in unprecedented detail, scientists hope to improve our ability to predict space weather events that can have significant impacts on Earth, such as solar flares and coronal mass ejections.
This mission holds great promise for advancing our knowledge of the sun and its effects on space weather, ultimately benefiting a wide range of sectors, including telecommunications, power grids, and satellite operations.
As the Aditya-L1 mission continues its journey towards the L1 Lagrange point, the scientific community eagerly awaits the groundbreaking discoveries that lie ahead. Stay tuned for more updates as this historic mission unfolds.
