ISRO's Aditya-L1 Mission completes first Halo Orbit around Sun-Earth L1 point

India's first solar mission, Aditya-L1, has successfully completed its initial halo orbit around the Sun-Earth L1 point, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced on Tuesday. This significant milestone was achieved through a carefully executed station-keeping maneuver.

Launched on September 2, 2023, Aditya-L1 was inserted into its targeted halo orbit on January 6, 2024. The spacecraft, designed to observe the Sun from the Lagrangian point L1, takes approximately 178 days to complete one revolution around this point.

ISRO explained that the Aditya-L1 spacecraft, while traveling in its halo orbit, experiences various perturbing forces that can cause deviations from its planned path. To counteract these forces and maintain the intended orbit, the spacecraft has undergone multiple station-keeping maneuvers. The first two maneuvers were conducted on February 22 and June 7, respectively. The latest maneuver, executed on Tuesday, has ensured the spacecraft's seamless transition into the second halo orbit around the L1 point.

The journey of Aditya-L1 around the Sun-Earth L1 Lagrangian point involves navigating complex dynamics, including modeling the perturbing forces acting on the spacecraft. ISRO's understanding of these forces has been crucial in accurately determining the trajectory and planning precise orbit maneuvers.