ISRO Chairman S Somanath has said that India’s first solar mission Aditya L1 will reach its destination, the Lagrangian point (L1), on January 6. The L1 point is located 1.5 million km from the Earth.

On the sidelines of Bharatiya Vigyan Sammelan organised by Vijnana Bharati in Ahmedabad, Somanath said it is expected that Aditya L1 will enter the L1 point on January 6. “Exact time will be announced at appropriate time,” he added.

Talking about the mission, Somanath said that once Aditya L1 reaches the point, ISRO will fire the engine once to stop it from going further. It will go to that point, and once it reaches that point, it will rotate around it and will be trapped at L1,” he added. After reaching its destination, Aditya-L1 will aid in monitoring various solar events for the upcoming five years.

Launched by ISRO on September 2 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) at Sriharikota, the mission represents the inaugural Indian space-based observatory focused on studying the Sun from a halo orbit L1.

Somanath said the data which Aditya L1 will gather in the next five years will be very important for India and the world. The data will be very useful to understand the dynamics of the Sun and how it affects our life,” the ISRO chief said.

India’s space station

Addressing the gathering, Somanath emphasised the significance of India’s technological empowerment.

Somanath revealed that ISRO, following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s directives during the ‘Amrit Kaal,’ has devised a plan to establish an Indian space station named the ‘Bharatiya space station.’

He expressed a commitment to nurture and advance the emerging players in the space sector, promoting economic growth among the new generation. He acknowledged that while India may not lead in every field, strategic focus should be placed on sectors where it can excel.

(With PTI inputs)