India’s pioneering solar mission, Aditya-L1, achieved a significant milestone by completing its first halo orbit around the Sun-Earth L1 point, as confirmed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Launched on September 2 last year, Aditya-L1 is an Indian solar observatory stationed at the Lagrangian point L1, where gravitational forces between the Sun and Earth create a stable observing position. It was successfully inserted into its designated halo orbit on January 6.
Operating in the halo orbit, Aditya-L1 revolves around the L1 point every 178 days, although it faces challenges from various external forces that may slightly alter its intended trajectory, as noted by ISRO. To maintain its orbital path, the spacecraft underwent two station-keeping manoeuvres on February 22 and June 7. Today’s third manoeuvre ensured Aditya-L1 continued on its trajectory, advancing into its second halo orbit path around L1.
ISRO highlighted the complexity of managing Aditya-L1’s journey, emphasizing the critical role of accurately modeling and understanding the forces affecting the spacecraft. The successful execution of the state-of-the-art flight dynamics software developed internally by URSC-ISRO for Aditya-L1 missions validates its capability in planning and executing precise orbit adjustments.
In visual representations provided by ISRO, the spacecraft’s trajectory around L1 is depicted, with specific markers indicating station-keeping manoeuvres crucial for maintaining its orbit. The final manoeuvre on July 2 ensured Aditya-L1 remained on course, preventing it from deviating onto an alternative trajectory represented in green.
The mission’s success underscores India’s advancement in space exploration and solar observation capabilities, positioning Aditya-L1 to gather crucial data on solar phenomena from its vantage point at L1.
