India’s 1st space mission to study sun reaches destination

By Ahmad Adil

NEW DELHI (AA) – India’s first space mission to study sun has reached its destination, officials said on Saturday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the country created “yet another landmark,” as India’s first solar observatory Aditya-L1 reaches its destination.

“It is a testament to the relentless dedication of our scientists in realizing among the most complex and intricate space missions. I join the nation in applauding this extraordinary feat,” Modi wrote on X. “We will continue to pursue new frontiers of science for the benefit of humanity.”

The mission is the first Indian space-based observatory to study sun from a halo-orbit around first sun-Earth Lagrangian point (L1), which is located roughly 1.5 million kilometers ((930,000 miles) from Earth, according to the Indian Space Research Organization.

The Aditya-L1 spacecraft was launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota in southern India on Sept. 2 and the spacecraft underwent a cruise phase lasting approximately 110 days to achieve the present condition prior to halo-orbit insertion targeted on Jan. 6, the space agency said on Saturday.​​​​​​​