India's solar mission spacecraft Aditya-L1 gets send off from Earth as ISRO performs key manoeuvre
Bengaluru (PTI): Aditya L1 spacecraft, India's first space-based mission to study the Sun, got a "send-off" from the Earth after orbiting it since its September 2 launch as it underwent a key manoeuvre in the early hours of Tuesday, ISRO said.
The Trans-Lagrangian Point 1 Insertion manoeuvre marks the beginning of the spacecraft's about 110-day trajectory to the destination around the L1 Lagrange point, a balanced gravitational location between the Earth and the Sun.
"Off to Sun-Earth L1 point! The Trans-Lagrangian Point 1 Insertion (TL1I) manoeuvre is performed successfully. The spacecraft is now on a trajectory that will take it to the Sun-Earth L1 point. It will be injected into an orbit around L1 through a maneuver after about 110 days," ISRO said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
This is the fifth consecutive time the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully transferred an object on a trajectory toward another celestial body or location in space, the country's space agency 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), located roughly 1.5 million km from earth, which is about one per cent of the Earth-Sun distance.
The Sun is a giant sphere of gas, and Aditya-L1 would study the outer atmosphere of the Sun. It will neither land on the Sun nor approach the Sun any closer.
Since its launch, Aditya-L1, during its journey around the Earth, underwent four Earth-bound manoeuvres on September 3, 5 ,10 and 15 respectively, during which it gained the necessary velocity for its further journey to L1.
Upon arrival at the L1 point, another manoeuvre binds Aditya-L1 to an orbit around L1.
The satellite spends its whole mission life orbiting around L1 in an irregularly shaped orbit in a plane roughly perpendicular to the line joining the Earth and the Sun.
Aditya-L1 is expected to arrive at the intended orbit at the L1 point after about 127 days, ISRO had said soon after the launch.
ISRO's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C57) on September 2 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 that day, Aditya-L1 spacecraft was successfully injected into an elliptical orbit of 235x19500 km around the earth.
According to ISRO, a spacecraft 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 Probl me 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.
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Cong MLA Raju Kage kicks up row over 'PM Modi's successor' remarks, BJP slams him
Bengaluru, May 2: Karnataka Congress MLA Raju Kage's remarks regarding Prime Minister Narendra Modi's successor have drawn sharp criticism from the opposition BJP in the state.
Addressing a campaign meeting in Mamadapur village in Belagavi district, Kage said, "I too have the confidence about running the country ably. If Modi dies, will no one become the prime minister of the country? Is there no other person to become prime minister among the 140 crore population? Youngsters these days say only Modi, Modi..."
Everyone wants Congress leaders like -- Laxman Savadi, Raju Kage, Satish Jarkiholi (all Congress MLAs) locally -- but want Modi at the Centre, the Kagwad MLA said on Tuesday. "There is no question of Modi. Will Modi come here to listen to your issues or us?"
Karnataka BJP president B Y Vijayendra sharply reacting to Kage's remarks, asked, "Why does Congress desire Narendra Modi ji's death?"
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In a post on 'X' on Thursday, he said, "Congress MLA Raju Kage has only outspoken the destructive mindset of Rahul Gandhi and Congress, who have a history of grabbing power based on the deaths of many innocent lives, like vultures ready to pounce on the deaths of precious lives."
Vijayendra questioned Congress whether it desires Modi's death because he abrogated Article 370 and "saved" Kashmir, because he fulfilled the dream of hundreds of years by building Ram Mandir in the birthplace of Shri Ram, because he eradicated the terrorism and saved the nation from terrorists, because he built a strong nation economically, ranking India 5th globally, among others.
"The BJP, not based on individuals but on principles and ideologies, has grown into a massive political tree, based on the nationalistic ideals and nurtured by the hard work of our Patriotic Karyakarthas....Modi has strengthened the nation and established himself as a great leader and a competent administrator.
"People of this country have resolved to make him the PM again and want his continued leadership for Bharath," he said.
What else can be expected from Congress, who is unable to tolerate this and out of sheer desperation, is resorting to foreboding of ill and wishing bad for the PM, the BJP chief further said, adding, vicious minds can only speak vile and Congress MLA Raju Khage with this mindset has only spoken Congress ideology ill-boding about the PM.
Congress MLA Raju Kage has only outspoken the destructive mindset of @RahulGandhi & @INCIndia ,who have an history of grabbing power based on the deaths of many innocent lives, like vultures ready to pounce on the deaths of precious lives.
— Vijayendra Yediyurappa (Modi Ka Parivar) (@BYVijayendra) May 2, 2024
Why does Congress desire Shri… pic.twitter.com/aVL0QzJrMq
