Aditya-L1 spacecraft healthy, on its way to the Sun-Earth L1 point: ISRO

Aditya-L1, India's first space-based solar observatory, is healthy and on its way to the Sun-Earth Lagrange Point 1 (L1), the Indian Space Research Organisation said on Sunday.

Aditya-L1 had escaped Earth’s sphere of influence on September 30. It underwent a trajectory correction manoeuvre (TCM) on October 6 for about 16 seconds, the space agency said.

The TCM, which was originally provisioned, was needed to correct the trajectory evaluated after tracking the Trans-Lagrangian Point Insertion (TLI) manoeuvre on September 19, it said.


“TCM ensures that the spacecraft is on its intended path towards the halo orbit insertion around L1. As Aditya-L1 continues to move ahead, the magnetometer will be turned on again within a few days,” the agency said.

Aditya L1 was launched by Isro's workhorse PSLV-C57 on September 2 from Sriharikota spaceport.

Data collected around L1 would provide insights into the origin, acceleration and anisotropy of solar wind and space weather phenomena, it said.

Aditya-L1 is the second spacecraft that the ISRO could send outside the sphere of influence of the Earth. The first one was the Mars Orbiter Mission.

Aditya L1 carries seven payloads. While four payloads will observe light from the Sun, three payloads will measure in-situ (in original position) parameters of the plasma and magnetic fields.

Aditya L1 will be placed in a halo orbit around L1 in the direction of the Sun. It will revolve around the Sun with the same relative position and hence can see the Sun continuously.