Aditya-L1 One Step Closer To The Sun, Successfully Improved 3rd Orbit

The launch of Aditya-L1, which has now successfully carried out the third maneuver leading to Earth. (photo: dok. isro)

JAKARTA - The Sun Mission belonging to the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) Aditya-L1, has successfully carried out the third maneuver leading to Earth.

Currently, Aditya-L1 is in a new orbit of 296km x 71767 km. A total of five orbital maneuvers will be carried out during the satellite revolution around Earth and three of them have been successfully carried out.

In its official X account, ISRO said the satellite orbit-enhancing maneuver was directed from the ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) in Bengaluru.

Meanwhile, ISRO's earth station in Mauritius, Bengaluru, Port Blair tracked satellites during an important operation to bring the country's country's first solar mission one step closer to its destination.

Aditya-L1 Mission:The third Earth-bound maneuvre (EBN#3) is performed successfully from ISTRAC, Bengaluru. ISRO's ground stations at Mauritius, Bengaluru, SDSC-SHAR and Port Blair tracked the satellite during this operation. The new orbit attained is 296 km x 71767 km.… pic.twitter.com/r9a8xwQ4My

— ISRO (@isro) September 9, 2023

Aditya-L1 Mission:The third Earth-bound maneuvre (EBN#3) is performing successfully from ISTRAC, Bengaluru. ISRO's ground stations at Mauritius, Bengaluru, SDSC-SHAR and Port Blair tracked the satellite during this operation. The new orbit approved is 296 km x 71767 km... pic.twitter.com/r9a8xwQ4My

The satellite has completed two orbital maneuvers toward Earth and will perform one more maneuver before being placed in a transfer orbit to the Lagrange L1 point 1.5 million km from Earth.

There, Aditya-L1 will have the advantage because it can continue to see the Sun without any occultation or eclipse. This will provide greater benefits in observing solar activity and its effect on real-time space weather.

For information, this mission aims to study solar corona physics, heating mechanisms, acceleration of solar wind, merger and dynamics of the solar atmosphere, distribution of solar winds, temperature anisotropies, origin of Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) and flares as well as near-Earth space weather.

It is estimated that the satellite will arrive in the intended orbit after 125 days. ISRO stated that the next Aditya-L1 maneuver is scheduled for September 15 at around 2 am local time, as quoted from NDTV, Monday, September 11.