The Aditya-L1 mission was launched in September and is carrying an array of instruments to measure and observe the sun’s outermost layers.

India’s science and technology minister Jitendra Singh said on social media that the probe had reached its final orbit “to discover the mysteries of sun-Earth connection”.

The US and the European Space Agency have sent numerous probes to the centre of the solar system, beginning with Nasa’s Pioneer programme in the 1960s.

Japan and China have both launched their own solar observatory missions into Earth’s orbit.

But the latest mission by the Indian Space Research Organisation is the first by any Asian nation to be placed in orbit around the sun.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed it as yet another “landmark” in the country’s space programme.

“It is a testament to the relentless dedication of our scientists,” he said on social media.

“We will continue to pursue new frontiers of science for the benefit of humanity.”

Aditya, named after a Hindu sun deity, has travelled 1.5 million km from the Earth – still only 1% of the distance between humanity’s home planet and the star at the centre of our solar system.

It is now at a point where the gravitational forces of both celestial bodies cancel out, allowing it to remain in a stable halo orbit around the sun.