TIRUPATI: India embarked on a journey towards the centre of the solar system to study the Sun and join a select club of nations, following the successful launch of Aditya-L1 from the spaceport at Sriharikota. The launch was the icing on the cake after a week of a breathtaking landing on the lunar south pole and surprising discoveries.
If successful, Aditya-L1 will make India the first Asian nation to orbit around the Sun.
The 44.4-metre, 320-tonne PSLV-XL rocket carrying Aditya-L1 blasted off on the dot at 11.40 pm, hundreds of spectators cheering wildly against the deafening noise of the rocket’s ascent and lakhs joining them online and on TV. This was the 59th flight of the PSLV, and 25th in the XL configuration with boosters.
Shortly after the launch, ISRO Chairman S. Somanath confirmed the successful placement of Aditya-L1 spacecraft into its intended orbit of 235 km by 19,500 km. "This is a very unique mission.. Aditya-L1 will now commence its journey, involving approximately 125 days," he said.
“Our tireless scientific efforts will continue in order to develop better understanding of the Universe,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on X (formerly Twitter), congratulating the scientists.
About 25 minutes after liftoff, the PS4 or the upper stage of the rocket, was ignited for 30 seconds. Nearly 26 minutes later, it PS4 was re-ignited for approximately eight minutes. Around 63 minutes after take-off, the 1,480-kg Aditya-L1, carrying seven payloads, separated from the rocket at 12.53 pm.
In its four-month journey, Aditya-L1 will execute five orbital manoeuvres around the Earth for 16 days to gain speed, and will be slung towards the Sun-Earth Lagrange point L1, located 15 lakh km from Earth. Isro announced that Aditya-L1 will employ its liquid apogee motor (LAM) to execute orbital manoeuvres, the first of which is scheduled for 11.45 am on September 3.
