“The Halo-Orbit Insertion (HOI) of its solar observatory spacecraft, Aditya-L1 was accomplished at 16.00 Hrs (approx) on January 6, 2024 (IST). The final phase of the maneuver involved firing of control engines for a short duration,” announced the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO)
The orbit of Aditya-L1 spacecraft is a periodic Halo orbit which is located roughly 1.5 million km from earth on the continuously moving Sun – Earth line with an orbital period of about 177.86 earth days. According to ISRO, the Halo orbit is a periodic, three-dimensional orbit at L1 involving Sun, Earth and a spacecraft. “This specific halo orbit is selected to ensure a mission lifetime of 5 years, minimising station-keeping manoeuvres and thus fuel consumption and ensuring a continuous, unobstructed view of sun,” informed the ISRO.
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The Aditya-L1 mission is an Indian solar observatory at Lagrangian point L1 for “Observing and understanding the chromospheric and coronal dynamics of the Sun” in a continuous manner. Placing the Aditya-L1 in a halo orbit around L1 point has advantages as compared to placing in a Low Earth Orbit (LEO). According to ISRO, some of the advantages are the provision of a smooth Sun-spacecraft velocity change throughout the orbit, appropriate for helioseismology; suitability for the “in situ” sampling of the solar wind and particles since it is outside of the magnetosphere of Earth; allows unobstructed, continuous observation of the Sun, and view of earth for enabling continuous communication to ground stations.
“The insertion of Aditya-L1 into this Halo orbit presents a critical mission phase, which demanded precise navigation and control. A successful insertion further involved constant monitoring along with the adjustment of the spacecraft’s speed and position by using onboard thrusters. The success of this insertion not only signifies ISRO’s capabilities in such complex orbital manoeuvres, but it but gives confidence to handle future interplanetary missions,” stated the ISRO
