Sun Mission Aditya L1
India’s Aditya-L1 spacecraft, en route to its destination at the Sun-Earth L1 point, has shared captivating images of Earth, the Moon, and even a selfie. These stunning visuals were posted on Twitter by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
The photos showcase the VELC (Visible Emission Line Coronagraph) and SUIT (Solar Ultraviolet Imager) instruments as seen through Aditya-L1’s camera on September 4, 2023.
Aditya-L1 Mission:
👀Onlooker!Aditya-L1,
destined for the Sun-Earth L1 point,
takes a selfie and
images of the Earth and the Moon.#AdityaL1 pic.twitter.com/54KxrfYSwy— ISRO (@isro) September 7, 2023
This mission began its journey from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh on September 2. It has already completed two earth-bound orbital maneuvers and is set to perform two more before reaching the transfer orbit leading to Lagrange point L1. Aditya-L1 is anticipated to reach its intended orbit at L1 after 125 days.
This solar probe achievement marks India’s second significant feat in less than a month, following its historic landing at the lunar south pole in late August.
ISRO has a roster of ongoing projects, including a human spaceflight program with ambitions to launch astronauts into orbit, potentially as soon as 2025, according to ISRO Chairman S. Somanath.
