The Aditya L-1 rocket went on an exciting adventure on September 2 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh. It’s traveling 1.5 million kilometers from Earth, that’s only 1% of the distance between the Sun and Earth.
It’s going to take about 4 months for Aditya L-1 to reach its parking spot. Once it’s there, it will be in the Sun’s orbit and won’t need much fuel. Aditya L-1 will be like a Sun spy, watching it closely and doing scientific studies.
Did you know that Japan was the first to send a mission to the Sun in 1981? NASA, the space experts, have been studying the Sun since 1990. In 2021, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe even flew through the Sun’s super hot outer part called the corona.
Here’s a fun fact: “L1” stands for Lagrange Point 1. It’s the exact point between the Sun and Earth where the rocket is heading. A Lagrange Point is a magical place where the pull from the Sun and Earth balance out, letting a spacecraft float around. Aditya L-1 will be in a halo orbit, around the Sun.