The Aditya-L1 spacecraft has successfully completed its first halo orbit at Lagrange Point 1, approximately 1.5 million km from Earth.
Aditya-L1, India's first solar observatory mission, was launched on September 2, 2023 and inserted into its targeted halo orbit on January 6, 2024.
The Aditya-L1 spacecraft took 178 days to complete one revolution around the L1 point in its halo orbit. However, during this journey, the spacecraft was subjected to various perturbing forces that could have caused it to deviate from its intended path.
To maintain the halo orbit, Aditya-L1 underwent two station-keeping maneuvers on February 22 and June 7, 2024.
On July 2, 2024, the Aditya-L1 spacecraft successfully completed its third station-keeping maneuver, ensuring that it continues its travel in the second halo orbit path around L1. This complex journey involves modeling the intricate dynamics at play and accurately determining the trajectory to plan precise orbit maneuvers.
The successful completion of the third station-keeping maneuver validates the state-of-the-art flight dynamics software developed in-house at URSC-ISRO for the Aditya-L1 mission.
Isro said that if the firing of the thrusters during this maneuver was not accurate, the spacecraft could have moved away from its intended trajectory.
Aditya-L1 carries seven payloads to observe the photosphere, chromosphere, and corona of the Sun using electromagnetic and particle detectors. The spacecraft's unique vantage point at the L1 point will provide continuous, unobstructed observations of the Sun for the next five years.
The successful completion of Aditya-L1's first halo orbit is a demonstration to India's growing capabilities in complex space missions and interplanetary exploration. The mission will provide crucial insights into solar physics and space weather, benefiting both scientific research and practical applications
