Similar to how a driver must occasionally take control and steer a vehicle while it’s in cruise control mode on an expressway, steering adjustments are required for a spacecraft traveling at speeds measuring several thousand kilometers per hour to ensure it stays on its intended course. The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has recently executed such a steering maneuver for its Aditya-L1 sun-study spacecraft, which is en route to its destination in interplanetary space.
Aditya-L1, launched on September 2nd, is currently on a four-month journey to reach its destination, situated 1.5 million kilometers away from Earth. This destination is known as Lagrangian Point 1, positioned at approximately 1 percent of the Earth-Sun distance of 150 million kilometers. It serves as a stable vantage point, allowing spacecraft to maintain a continuous view of the Sun and solar phenomena while staying in communication with mission controllers on Earth.
Once spacecraft reach specific speeds and orbital parameters, they can follow their designated path or orbit without expending additional fuel. However, when minor deviations from their course are detected, necessary steering corrections are executed by firing the spacecraft’s onboard engines.
ISRO provided an update on Sunday (October 8) indicating that the spacecraft is in good health and on its trajectory toward Sun-Earth L1 point. ISRO mentioned that a Trajectory Correction Maneuver, originally planned, was conducted on October 6, 2023, lasting approximately 16 seconds. This maneuver was necessary to rectify the trajectory following the Trans-Lagrangian Point 1 Insertion (TL1I) maneuver conducted on September 19, 2023.
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