Aditya L1 spacecraft embarks on 110-day journey to L1 point

Contact Counsellor

Last Updated21/09/2023

Recently, ISRO carried out the Trans-Lagrangian 1 Insertion (TL1I) manoeuvre.
India’s first space-based observatory to study the Sun, Aditya-L1, is headed to the Lagrangian 1 (L1) point.
The TL1I manoeuvre marks the beginning of Aditya-L1’s 110-day journey towards the L1 point which lies between the Sun-Earth line.

Launched by ISRO to the L1 orbit which is about 1.5 million km from the Earth.
It is expected to take more than 120 days for the spacecraft to reach the L1.
The orbit allows Aditya-L1 to look at the Sun continuously without any occultation/eclipses.

To study the Sun’s corona, Sun's photosphere, chromosphere, solar emissions, solar winds and flares and Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs).
To carry out round-the-clock imaging of the Sun.

Aditya L1 will be launched using the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV)
It also launched the Chandrayaan-1 in 2008 and the Mars Orbiter spacecraft in 2013.
The mission will have 7 payloads (instruments) on board viz.
- VELC
- Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (SUIT)
- Solar Low Energy X-ray Spectrometer (SoLEXS)
- Aditya Solar wind Particle Experiment (ASPEX)
- High Energy L1 Orbiting X-ray Spectrometer (HEL1OS)
- Plasma Analyser Package for Aditya (PAPA)
- Advanced Tri-axial High Resolution Digital Magnetometers

It refers to Lagrangian/Lagrange Point 1, one of the five points in the orbital plane of the Earth-Sun system.
These are positions in space where the combined gravitational pull of two large masses roughly balance each other.
These can be used by spacecraft to reduce fuel consumption needed to remain in position.