ISRO deploys magnetometer boom on Aditya-L1

Bengaluru: The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) has deployed the magnetometer boom on Aditya-L1, India’s first space-based observatory to study the sun.

The magnetometer is designed to measure low-intensity interplanetary magnetic fields in space.

The six metre-long magnetometer boom was deployed in the halo orbit at L1, the first Lagrange point in the earth-sun system, on January 11. It was in a stowed condition for 132 days since the Aditya-L1 launch.

The magnetometer carries two sets of state-of-the-art, high-accuracy magnetic sensors, one at the tip of the six-metre deployable boom, and the other in the middle of the boom, 3 metres away from the body of the spacecraft.

Operating from these distances, the dual-sensor system assesses and minimises the influence of the magnetic field created by the spacecraft on the measurements, Isro said on Thursday. The magnetometer was developed by Isro’s Laboratory for Electro-Optics Systems.

The boom segments are constructed from carbon fibre-reinforced polymer and serve as interfaces for the sensor mounting and mechanism elements. The articulated boom mechanism comprises five segments that are interconnected through spring-driven hinge mechanisms, allowing for folding and deploying actions.

The deployment occurs in an accordion fashion, controlled by a closed control loop mechanism, with the hinges locking the segments into the deployed configuration. Isro said the in-orbit deployment time was approximately 9 seconds, “well within the predicted range” of 8 to 12 seconds.

“During the stowed condition, the boom is securely held in position by two hold-downs, transferring the launch loads to the spacecraft body. A thermal cutter-based release system is employed to execute the boom deployment on command,” the space agency said.