Indian Sun-Monitoring Spacecraft Crosses Landmark Point on Journey to Escape Earth’s Influence
India’s sun-monitoring spacecraft, Aditya-L1, has reached a significant milestone on its journey to escape “the sphere of Earth’s influence,” according to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). This news comes just days after the disappointment of the country’s moon rover, Pragyan, failing to awaken.
The Aditya-L1 mission, which embarked on its four-month journey towards the center of the solar system on September 2, is equipped with instruments to observe the sun’s outermost layers. The spacecraft has successfully traveled a distance of 920,000 kilometers (570,000 miles), which is just over half of the total distance it needs to cover.
Reaching this point allows the gravitational forces of both Earth and the sun to cancel each other out, enabling the mission to enter a stable halo orbit around the sun. The ISRO highlighted that this is the second time they have sent a spacecraft outside Earth’s sphere of influence, with the first being the Mars Orbiter Mission in 2014.
In August of this year, India achieved a significant milestone by becoming the first country to land a craft near the lunar south pole. Unfortunately, the rover Pragyan was powered down before the start of the lunar night and has not responded since. Despite this setback, ISRO chief S. Somanath reassured that the rover had accomplished its expected tasks.
India’s space exploration endeavors have been noteworthy in recent years. In addition to the Mars Orbiter Mission, the country has plans to launch a three-day crewed mission into Earth orbit by next year. If successful, the Aditya-L1 mission will mark the first time an Asian nation has placed a spacecraft in orbit around the sun.
While the United States and European Space Agency have sent multiple probes to study the sun, including NASA’s Pioneer program in the 1960s, Japan and China have also launched their own solar observatory missions. However, India’s mission stands out as a significant accomplishment for the Asian space exploration community.
The achievements of the ISRO are commendable, and their continued efforts in exploring space are opening new doors for scientific research. As the Aditya-L1 mission progresses further towards the center of the solar system, scientists and space enthusiasts eagerly anticipate the data and insights it will provide.
© 2023 AFP