Aditya L1 successfully undergoes the second earth-bound manoeuvre: ISRO
Bengaluru (PTI): Aditya L1, the first space based Indian mission to study the Sun underwent the second earth-bound manoeuvre successfully, during the early hours on Tuesday, ISRO said.
ISRO's Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) carried out the operation.
"The second Earth-bound manoeuvre (EBN#2) is performed successfully from ISTRAC, Bengaluru. ISTRAC/ISRO's ground stations at Mauritius, Bengaluru and Port Blair tracked the satellite during this operation. The new orbit attained is 282 km x 40225 km," ISRO said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
The next manoeuvre (EBN#3) is scheduled for September 10, 2023, around 02:30 Hrs. IST, it said.
Aditya-L1 is the first Indian space based observatory to study the Sun from a halo orbit around first sun-earth Lagrangian point (L1), which is located roughly 1.5 million km from earth.
The first earth-bound manoeuvre was successfully performed on September 3.
The spacecraft will undergo two more earth-bound orbital manoeuvres before placing in the transfer orbit towards the Lagrange point L1. Aditya-L1 is expected to arrive at the intended orbit at the L1 point after about 127 days.
ISRO's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C57) on September 2 had successfully launched the Aditya-L1 spacecraft, from the Second Launch Pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), Sriharikota.
After a flight duration of 63 minutes and 20 seconds, Aditya-L1 spacecraft was successfully injected into an elliptical orbit of 235x19500 km around the earth.
According to ISRO, a satellite placed in the halo orbit around the L1 point has the major advantage of continuously viewing the Sun without any occultation /eclipses. This will provide a greater advantage of observing the solar activities and its effect on space weather in real time.
Aditya-L1 carries seven scientific payloads indigenously developed by ISRO and national research laboratories including Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Bengaluru, and Inter University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Pune.
The payloads are to observe the photosphere, chromosphere and the outermost layers of the Sun (the corona) using electromagnetic and particle and magnetic field detectors.
Using the special vantage point L1, four payloads directly view the Sun and the remaining three payloads carry out in-situ studies of particles and fields at the Lagrange point L1, thus providing important scientific studies of the propagatory effect of solar dynamics in the interplanetary medium.
The suits of Aditya L1 payloads are expected to provide the most crucial information to understand the problem of coronal heating, coronal mass ejection, pre-flare and flare activities and their characteristics, dynamics of space weather, propagation of particles and fields.
According to scientists, there are five Lagrangian points (or parking areas) between the Earth and the Sun where a small object tends to stay if put there. The Lagrange Points are named after Italian-French mathematician Joseph-Louis Lagrange for his prize-winning paper -- "Essai sur le Problème des Trois Corps, 1772." These points in space can be used by spacecraft to remain there with reduced fuel consumption.
At a Lagrange point, the gravitational pull of the two large bodies (the Sun and the Earth) equals the necessary centripetal force required for a small object to move with them.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
RCB calmer than last year, players clear about their roles: Krunal Pandya
Bengaluru (PTI): The atmosphere in the Royal Challengers Bengaluru camp is much calmer than last year and players have a lot more understanding of their roles this season, says Krunal Pandya.
RCB won the Indian Premier League trophy for the first time in 18 years in 2025 and Pandya was the Man-of-the-Match in the final against Punjab Kings at Ahmedabad, returning 4-0-17-2 as RCB won the contest by six runs.
"I feel that this year there is a much calmer atmosphere. Last year it was a new team, and everyone got to know each other. This year many players understand their roles and each other's strengths and weaknesses," Pandya said in a release by the franchise.
"When I get into the big occasions, I feel that if God has got you here, then there is a reason behind it and sometimes I think that these big occasions are actually made for me. I feel the pressure, but I think about how I can be calm and in the present moment and do what is required," he said.
Pandya said RCB icon Virat Kohli would easily rank among the greatest players in any era of cricket.
"Virat is a classic example. You can see that hunger; you can see that passion in how he sees the game and how much he wants that victory. If Virat Kohli had been born in any (some other) generation, he would still be one of the greats. He is not competing with anyone else," he said.
