ISRO’s Aditya L1 going to Sun? Know why direct photo voltaic flyby mission from Earth is so powerful

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is scheduled to hold out a key operation to modify on Aditya L1’s engine on Saturday, aiming to efficiently place the photo voltaic probe into its supposed orbit.

Unlike the Chandrayaan 3 mission, the place the Vikram lander touched down on the lunar south pole, Aditya L1 is not going to land on the Sun. Instead, it should revolve on the first Lagrange Point within the Earth-Sun system. This level is situated 15 lakh km away from Earth. Remarkably, the 15 lakh km distance represents just one per cent of the overall 15 crore km separation between Earth and the Sun.

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Has any probe ‘touched’ the Sun?

In December 2021, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration or NASA’s Parker Solar Probe achieved the unprecedented feat of flying by across the Sun.

This marked the primary time in historical past {that a} spacecraft utilizing different celestial our bodies navigated via the Sun’s higher ambiance, the corona, gathering samples of particles and magnetic fields. The Parker Probe ventured to a distance of roughly 78 lakh km from the Sun’s floor throughout this groundbreaking mission.

Subsequently, the probe has been engaged in a collection of loops inside a extremely elliptical orbit across the Sun. With every orbit, it steadily approaches nearer to the Sun, transmitting a wealth of observational information that continues to contribute beneficial insights.

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Why is a direct flyby of Sun difficult?

“It takes 55 times more energy to go to the Sun than it does to go to Mars,” mentioned a NASA report.

Our planet strikes swiftly, roughly 1,07,826 km, predominantly sideways in comparison with the Sun. To attain the Sun, cancelling this sideways movement is essential, the report added.

The Parker Solar Probe, skimming via the Sun’s ambiance, solely wants to cut back its sideways movement by 85,295 km to succeed in its vacation spot. This job is difficult, requiring the usage of the highly effective Delta IV Heavy rocket. Additionally, the Parker Solar Probe undergoes Venus’s gravity assists, utilising Venus’ orbital power effectively to shed sideways velocity. These gravity assists draw the Parker Solar Probe’s orbit nearer to the Sun, attaining a report strategy of simply 61.6 lakh km from the Sun’s seen floor on the ultimate orbits, the NASA report defined.

While shedding sideways velocity to strategy the Sun, the Parker Solar Probe beneficial properties total velocity, propelled by the Sun’s intense gravity. According to NASA, it’s set to interrupt the report because the quickest human-made object, reaching 6,92,023 km on its closing orbits, anticipated in 2025.

To present perspective, this velocity is quick sufficient to journey from New Delhi to Lahore in simply two seconds!