Consider the following statements regarding the placement of Aditya-L1:

Statement I: The spacecraft shall be placed in a halo orbit around the Lagrange Point 1 (L1) of the Sun-Earth system, which is about 1.5 million km from Earth.

Statement II: At L1, the gravitational pull of the Sun and Earth precisely equals the centripetal force required for a small object to move with them. This allows uninterrupted observation of the Sun without occultation or eclipses.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

In News

• Scientists from the Indian Institute of Astrophysics recently reported the observation of a flareless coronal mass ejection (CME) from the Sun using the Visible Emission Line Coronagraph (VELC) onboard the Aditya-L1 mission.

Key Points

• Aditya-L1 is placed 1.5 million km from Earth at L1, where the gravitational forces of the Sun and Earth balance out.
  • The spacecraft follows a halo orbit around L1, allowing it to stay aligned with the Earth-Sun system.
  • Hence, Statement I is correct.
• The gravitational pull of the Sun and Earth at L1 precisely equals the centripetal force required for a spacecraft to maintain its position, minimizing fuel usage.
  • This ensures that Aditya-L1 can observe the Sun continuously, without being blocked by Earth’s shadow or atmosphere.
  • Hence, Statement II is correct and explains Statement I.

Additional Information

• Lagrange Points (L1-L5) are positions where the gravitational forces of two celestial bodies (Sun & Earth) create stable orbits for spacecraft. 
• L1 is ideal for solar observation, while L2 is used for deep-space telescopes like JWST due to its shadowed environment.