On December 2, 2024, India's Aditya-L1 spacecraft, the country's first solar observation mission, successfully completed its fourth Earth orbit maneuver. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced the achievement early Friday morning.
The fourth Earth Bound Maneuver (EBN#4) was monitored by ISRO ground stations in Mauritius, Bengaluru, SDSC-SHAR, and Port Blair, with additional support from a portable terminal in Fiji.
Aditya-L1 now resides in a new orbit with parameters of 256 km x 121,973 km. The next maneuver, the Trans-Lagrangean Point 1 Insertion (TL1I), is scheduled for September 19 at 02:00 IST, marking the spacecraft's departure from Earth's orbit.
This observatory is designed to study the Sun from a halo orbit around the first Lagrange point (L1), located approximately 1.5 million kilometers from Earth. The spacecraft was launched on September 2 using the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C57) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.
Aditya-L1 is equipped with seven scientific instruments developed by ISRO in collaboration with national research institutions, including the Indian Institute of Astrophysics and the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics. These instruments aim to observe the Sun's photosphere, chromosphere, and corona, using electromagnetic particle detectors and magnetic field sensors.
Four instruments will conduct direct solar observations, while three will study particles and fields around the L1 point in situ. The data gathered is expected to provide insights into coronal heating, coronal mass ejections, solar flare activity, space weather dynamics, and the propagation of particles and magnetic fields.
ISRO highlighted the advantages of the halo orbit, which allows continuous monitoring of the Sun without interruptions from eclipses or occultations, facilitating real-time observation of solar activity and its impact on space weather.