ISRO's first solar mission Aditya-L1 to reach its destination on January 6: Chairman Somanath
Aditya-L1, which was launched on September 2, is poised for its final maneuver and is set to reach its designated L1 point on January 6, according to ISRO Chairman S Somanath. The spacecraft has successfully completed four earth-bound maneuvers and a Trans-Lagrangean Point 1 Insertion (TL1I) maneuver during its journey.
«Aditya-L1 is going to reach its L1 point on January 6 and we are going to do the final manoeuvre to keep it there,» the ISRO chief said, on the sidelines of the successful launch of XPoSat mission to study black holes.
Somanath also outlined ISRO's ambitious plans for the year, saying that it is aiming for a minimum of 12 missions.
Regarding the Gaganyaan mission, Somanath mentioned plans for at least two additional abort missions, one unmanned mission (with a target of two), parachute drop tests, and hundreds of valuation tests before the scheduled launch in 2025. The Gaganyaan project aims to demonstrate human spaceflight capability by launching a crew of three members into a 400 km orbit for a three-day mission, returning them safely to Earth.
Somanath emphasized that 2024 would be the year for Gaganyaan readiness, including helicopter-based drop tests to validate parachute systems, multiple drop tests, and numerous valuation tests.
In a notable achievement earlier on the first day of 2024, ISRO successfully launched the X-ray Polarimeter Satellite (XPoSat), marking India's first observation of black holes. Somanath highlighted the satellite's precise placement into the intended orbit of 650 km, with a 6-degree inclination.
It has taken ISRO seven years to build the XPoSat satellite.
«We want to create at least 100 scientists who can understand this aspect and contribute to the knowledge of
