Solar mission Aditya-L1 will reach destination on January 6: ISRO chairman
Ahmedabad, Dec 23: India's maiden solar mission Aditya-L1 will reach its destination, the Lagrangian point (L1) which is located 1.5 million km from the Earth, on January 6, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman S Somanath has said.
The mission, the first Indian space-based observatory to study the Sun from a halo orbit L1, was launched by the ISRO on September 2 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) at Sriharikota.
"Aditya-L1 will enter the L1 point on January 6. That is what is expected. Exact time will be announced at appropriate time," Somanath told mediapersons here on Friday on the sidelines of the Bharatiya Vigyan Sammelan organised by Vijnana Bharati, an NGO working to popularise science.
"When it reaches the L1 point, we have to fire the engine once again so that it does not go further. It will go to that point, and once it reaches that point, it will rotate around it and will be trapped at L1," he said.
Once Aditya-L1 reaches its destination, it will help measure various events happening on the Sun for the next five years.
"Once it is successfully placed on L1 point, it will be there for the next five years, gathering all the data which are very important not for India alone but for the entire world. The data will be very useful to understand the dynamics of the Sun and how it affects our life," the ISRO chief said.
How India is going to become a technologically powerful country is very important, he said while addressing the gathering.
ISRO has made a plan to build an Indian space station, called 'Bharatiya space station' during the 'Amrit Kaal' as per Prime Minister Narendra Modi's instructions, Somanath said.
"In the space sector we are seeing an emergence of new actors...We are going to support, encourage and build the economy around the new generation," he said, adding that India cannot become a leader in everything, but it should focus on the sectors where it can.
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Waqf Amendment Bill: Amit Shah says no provision of non-Muslim involvement in religious matter
New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday addressed concerns regarding the Waqf Amendment Bill, 2025, stating that non-Muslims will not be involved in any religious affairs related to Waqf properties. His remarks came while speaking in the Lok Sabha, where the bill was tabled for consideration and passage.
Shah clarified that non-Muslim members will be included only in the Council and Waqf Board, but their role will be limited to administrative matters concerning properties donated under Waqf law. They will not interfere in religious activities or the management of religious institutions, he assured.
"First of all, no non-Muslim would come into the Waqf. Understand this clearly... There is no such provision to include any non-Muslim among those who manage religious institutions; we do not want to do this," Shah said. He added that there is a misconception being spread that the amendment would interfere with religious practices or Waqf properties, which he claimed was an attempt to mislead the minority community for political reasons.
The Waqf Amendment Bill, 2025, was presented by Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, following recommendations by a Joint Parliamentary Committee. Waqf refers to assets donated solely for religious or charitable purposes under Islamic law, and their use for any other purpose is prohibited.
Shah further emphasized that only property legally owned by an individual can be donated under Waqf law. "A person cannot donate government property or property that belongs to someone else," he said.
