Aditya-L1: India’s first solar mission takes off
The spacecraft, after travelling about 1.5 million km from the Earth over 125 days, is expected to be placed in a Halo orbit around the Lagrangian point L1
ISRO on Saturday launched the country's ambitious Solar mission, Aditya L1, eyeing history again after its successful lunar expedition, Chandrayan-3 a few days ago. As the 23.40-hour countdown concluded, the 44.4-meter-tall Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) soared majestically at the prefixed time of 11.50 am from this spaceport, located on the Eastern coast about 135 km from Chennai.
PM says efforts will continue
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has congratulated the Indian Space Research Organisation and its scientists on the successful launch of the country's first solar mission. "Our tireless scientific efforts will continue in order to develop better understanding of the universe for the welfare of entire humanity," he said on 'X'.
The Congress hailed the launch of Aditya-L1 as a "stupendous achievement" for India, as it shared a timeline of the mission from its conceptualisation for understanding of the "continuity in the ISRO saga".
What PM Modi tweeted
After the success of Chandrayaan-3, India continues its space journey.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 2, 2023
Congratulations to our scientists and engineers at @isro for the successful launch of India’s first Solar Mission, Aditya -L1.
Our tireless scientific efforts will continue in order to develop better…
What the mission means for India
Aditya L1 is expected to reach its L1 point in the orbit around Sun in 126 days, but ISRO says there is no clarity yet
ISRO's latest update
The third stage of the PSLV rocket has separated from the rocket, reaching PS4 coasting phase
After the lift-off at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre here, the scientists will start placing the spacecraft at Low Earth Orbit initially, and later it will be more elliptical.
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.
The spacecraft would be launched towards the Lagrange L1 point using on-board propulsion so that it exits the earth's gravitational Sphere of Influence and cruises towards the L1. Later, it would be injected into a large Halo Orbit around L1 point near the Sun.
The total time from launch to reaching the L1 point would be about four months for the Aditya-L1 Mission, ISRO said.