In an unprecedented feat, India’s Aditya-L1 probe has achieved a significant milestone by escaping the ‘Earth’s sphere of influence’. The Indian Space Agency (ISRO) confirmed on Saturday evening that the probe, launched on September 2, has traveled 920,000 kilometers, or about half of its planned journey towards the Sun.
Aditya-L1, which means sun in Hindi, carries scientific instruments intended to study the outermost layers of the sun during a mission that will last four months. This initiative marks a monumental achievement for India, as it would be the first mission by an Asian country to enter orbit around the Sun, an achievement that has so far only been achieved by the United States and the European Space Agency.
This news comes after India’s recent successes in space exploration, including the historic landing of Chandrayaan-3 at the Moon’s south pole on August 23. Despite some setbacks, such as the Pragyan robot’s blackout during the lunar night, India’s achievements in space exploration are setting the standard globally.
The advancement of Aditya-L1 not only represents a milestone for ISRO but also a significant step towards deeper understanding of the Sun and outer space, cementing India’s position at the forefront of international space exploration.