Days after India's successful moon mission, the country is now setting its sights on the sun.
Aditya, which refers to the sun in Hindi, is to be placed in a halo orbit around the Lagrangian point 1 of the Sun-Earth system, where the sun can be observed without any obstructions, an ISRO report stated.
Lagrange points are positions in space where gravitational forces of two large masses produce "enhanced regions of attraction and repulsion," according to NASA.
The resulting force can be used to remain in position and reduce fuel consumption — and can be likened to "parking spots" for spacecraft.
The launch will mark India's first space-based observatory to study the sun, and would offer a "major advantage of continuously viewing the sun without any occultation or eclipses," the ISRO report stated.
Persons:
Lagrange
Organizations:
Indian Space Research Organization, ISRO, NASA