On September 2, 2023, the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota launched Aditya L1, the first observatory in India to study the Sun.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (c) will try a vital manoeuvre to bind the Aditya L1 spacecraft to an orbit around the Lagrangian point (L1), which is anticipated to be reached on January 6.

On September 2, 2023, the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota launched Aditya-L1, the first observatory in India to study the Sun.

From September 3 to September 15, the ISRO Telemetry Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) located in Bengaluru conducted four earthbound movements.

On September 19, Aditya-L1 executed the Trans-Lagrangian1 insertion operation, initiating a 110-day journey to the target location centered around the L1 point.

L1 is roughly 1.5 million kilometers away from Earth, which is equivalent to 1% of Earth’s distance from the Sun.

The critical maneuver that will link Aditya-L1 to an orbit around L1 will be carried out by ISRO scientists and engineers from the Mission Operations Complex of ISTRAC on January 6 at roughly 4 p.m.

The spacecraft is propelled by a 440 Newton Liquid Apogee Motor (LAM) engine in addition to eight 22 Newton and four 10 Newton thrusters that will fire sporadically to manoeuvre.

A satellite positioned in the halo orbit around the L1 point, according to ISRO, has the primary benefit of being able to continually view the Sun without being obscured by occultation or eclipse. The benefit of regularly monitoring solar activity will increase as a result.

With the use of electromagnetic and particle detectors, Aditya-L1’s seven payloads will study the photosphere, chromosphere, and the Sun’s outermost layers, or corona.

Four payloads will observe the Sun directly from the unique vantage point of L1, while the remaining three payloads will conduct in-situ particle and field research at L1.

Throughout its five-year mission, Aditya-L1’s payloads should deliver the most important data to comprehend the issues surrounding coronal mass ejection, pre-flare and flare activities, their characteristics, space weather dynamics, and particle and field propagation.

At L1, four spacecraft are in service at the moment: WIND, Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE), Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), and Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVER).

• The Lagrangian point (L1) is anticipated to be reached by ISRO’s Aditya L1 spacecraft on January 6. From then, a critical maneuver to lock the spacecraft into an orbit around L1 will be attempted.
• The essential maneuver that will link Aditya-L1 to an orbit around L1 will be carried out by ISRO scientists and engineers from the Mission Operations Complex of ISTRAC on January 6 at roughly 4 p.m.
• Aditya-L1 is equipped with seven payloads that use particle and electromagnetic detectors to study the photosphere, chromosphere, and the outermost layers of the Sun, known as the corona.

SOURCE: https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/isro-to-perform-crucial-manoeuvre-on-january-6-2024-to-bind-aditya-l1-into-l1-orbit/article67706071.ece