ISRO unveils Aditya-L1 mission logo after 2nd successful Earth-bound manoeuvre

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) unveiled the logo for Aditya-L1, India's first space-based mission to study the Sun. ISRO shared it via a tweet on X, formerly Twitter, which was accompanied by a graphical representation of the successful completion of the second Earth-bound manoeuvre on September 5.

ISRO unvieled Aditya-L1, India's first mission to the Sun's logo. | Image: ISRO

A step toward the Sun: Aditya-L1's orbital manoeuvre

In the early hours of Tuesday, ISRO's Telemetry, Tracking, and Command Network (ISTRAC) orchestrated the crucial second Earth-bound manoeuvre, a pivotal step in Aditya-L1's journey. This manoeuvre, closely monitored by ISRO's ground stations in Mauritius, Bengaluru, and Port Blair, reshaped the spacecraft's orbit, positioning it at 282 km x 40,225 km above the Earth's surface.

The next anticipated manoeuvre is scheduled for September 10, 2023, at approximately 02:30 Hrs. IST, marking another significant step in Aditya-L1's mission, according to ISRO officials. Aditya’s first Earth-bound manoeuvre was performed successfully on September 3.

Aditya-L1: A glimpse into the Sun's mysteries

Aditya-L1 marks India's pioneering mission to observe the Sun from a halo orbit around the first Sun-Earth Lagrangian point (L1), located roughly 1.5 million km from Earth. One of the key advantages of this orbit is its uninterrupted view of the Sun, free from eclipses or occultations. This vantage point enables real-time observations of solar activities and their impact on space weather.

Aditya-L1 carries seven scientific payloads developed indigenously by ISRO and national research laboratories, including the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) in Bengaluru and the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) in Pune. These payloads are designed to study various layers of the Sun, including the photosphere, chromosphere, and the corona, utilising electromagnetic, particle, and magnetic field detectors.

Four of these payloads have a direct view of the Sun, while the remaining three conduct in-situ studies of particles and fields at Lagrange point L1. These studies will provide valuable insights into coronal heating, coronal mass ejections, solar dynamics, space weather, and the propagation of particles and fields.

According to ISRO officials, India is committed to understanding the Sun and its influence on space weather.

(With PTI inputs)