Aditya-L1 is ISRO's spacecraft for studying the Sun. It was launched by PSLV-C57 from SDSC SHAR, Sriharikota, on September 2, 2023.
Where it is
The spacecraft operates in a halo orbit around Lagrange point 1 (L1) of the Sun–Earth system, which ISRO describes as about 1.5 million km from the Earth. ISRO said the Halo Orbit Insertion was accomplished at about 16:00 IST on January 6, 2024.
Why a halo orbit around L1
ISRO gave several reasons for the choice:
- It supports a five-year mission life while minimising station-keeping manoeuvres and fuel use
- It sits outside Earth's magnetosphere, so the spacecraft can sample the solar wind directly
- It gives an uninterrupted view of the Sun and continuous communication with ground stations
What it carries
According to ISRO, the spacecraft carries seven payloads to observe the photosphere, the chromosphere and the outermost layers of the Sun (the corona), using electromagnetic, particle and magnetic-field detectors.
How we verified this
VerifiedLaunch date, vehicle and site, insertion date and time, the 1.5 million km distance and the reasons for choosing the halo orbit were checked against ISRO's halo-orbit insertion release. The seven payloads and what they observe were checked against ISRO's Aditya-L1 mission page.
Sources
- 1.Halo Orbit Insertion of Aditya-L1 — Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)
- 2.Aditya-L1 mission page — Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)
