Edited by Deepali Verma
In another historic moment for Bharat in space, Aditya-L1 which happens to be the country’s first mission to study the sun, has reached its final destination. The space observatory was launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on September 2, 2023.
In praise of the country’s scientists for the achievement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that Bharat has created yet another landmark and that the country aims to pursue new frontiers of science to benefit humanity.
Writing on X post, the PM expressed, “Bharat creates yet another landmark as Bharat’s first solar observatory Aditya-L1 reaches its destination. This is a testament to the relentless dedication of our scientists in realising among the most complex and intricate space missions. I, along with the nation, join in applauding this extraordinary feat. We will continue to pursue new frontiers of science for the benefit of humanity.”
Aditya L1 has been placed in a halo point around the Sun-Earth Lagrange Point 1. The point is around 1.5 million km from the Earth, in the direction of the Sun.
Lagrange points, have been named after the French mathematician and astronomer Joseph-Louis Lagrange, are unique locations in space where the gravitational force of two massive bodies nearly neutralise each other. The maintenance of the orbit of spacecraft around these points is easier and requires less fuel.
The space observatory has assured to keep an eye on the changing space weather and warn the scientists about events like solar storms and flares that may affect the working of satellites.
“As Aditya-L1 looks at the Sun continuously, it holds the potential to warn us of imminent solar electro-magnetic effects on Earth and protect our satellites and other power electrical and communications networks from getting disrupted. This will help in continuing the normal operations by operating them in safe modes, till the solar storm passes by,” S Somanath, Chairman, ISRO, said to NDTV.
The ISRO chief informed that Bharat has assets worth over ₹ 50,000 crore in space, such as over 50 operational satellites, and an observatory like Aditya L1 will protect them from damaging solar events.
