Aditya L1 spacecraft is nearing its final phase, says ISRO chief

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced on November 7 that the High Energy L1 Orbiting X-ray Spectrometer (HEL1OS), tasked with observing hard X-ray activities from the Sun, successfully recorded first high-energy X-ray images of solar flares during its initial observation period on October 29, 2023.

Aditya L1 spacecraft, India's first space-based mission to study the Sun, is nearing its final phase, and maneuvers to enter the L1 point are expected to be completed by January 7, 2024, according to ISRO Chairman S Somanath. "Aditya is on the way. I think it has reached almost its final phase," the ISRO chief told "Aditya is on the way. I think it has reached almost its final phase," the ISRO chief told

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced on November 7 that the High Energy L1 Orbiting X-ray Spectrometer (HEL1OS), tasked with observing hard X-ray activities from the Sun, successfully recorded first high-energy X-ray images of solar flares during its initial observation period on October 29, 2023.

According to the space agency, the data captured is consistent with the X-ray light curves provided by US’ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) GOES (Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites).

Designed by the Space Astronomy Group at the U R Rao Satellite Centre, ISRO in Bengaluru, HEL1OS was meant to play a crucial part in the scientific pursuits of the Aditya-L1 Solar Mission, launched on September 2 this year to study the Sun.

Since its commissioning on October 27, 2023, HEL1OS has been consistently observing hard X-ray activities from the Sun. HEL1OS data empowers researchers to delve into and understand phenomena related to explosive energy releases and electron acceleration during the impulsive phases of solar flares.

India achieved a successful launch of its inaugural solar mission, Aditya-L1, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, on September 2.  The spacecraft, as per ISRO, after travelling about 1.5 million km from the Earth over 125 days, would be stationed at Lagrangian point L1, which is considered closest to the Sun, about 1.5 million km from Earth, which is about 1% of the Earth-Sun distance.

As per ISRO, Aditya-L1 constantly faces the Sun throughout its mission duration of around five years. Aditya-L1 will neither land on the Sun nor approach the Sun closer.