ESA’s Proba-3 mission to take flight aboard PSLV-XL rocket on Dec 4: ISRO

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has announced the launch of the European Space Agency's (ESA) Proba-3 mission on December 4. The mission is designed to study the Sun’s faint corona near its solar rim with remarkable precision.

The Proba-3 mission will lift off at 4:08 PM IST aboard the PSLV-XL rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. ISRO shared the update on X, stating, "The PSLV-C59/PROBA-3 Mission is set to take flight on 4th December 2024, 16:08 IST from SDSC SHAR, Sriharikota!"

The PSLV-XL rocket will carry two satellites that together form a 144-meter-long solar coronagraph. This specialized instrument will help scientists observe the Sun’s elusive corona, which is usually obscured by the intense brightness of the solar disk.

The twin satellites will be placed in a highly elliptical orbit, reaching up to 60,000 km from Earth and descending as close as 600 km during each orbit. At their peak altitude, where Earth’s gravitational influence is weaker, the satellites will maintain precision formation for about six hours. This reduces fuel consumption and allows for accurate positioning, essential for their observations.

Dubbed the "world’s first precision formation flying mission," the satellites will operate as a single rigid structure in space to test advanced formation flying and rendezvous technologies, ESA stated. This innovative approach will allow unprecedented study of the Sun’s corona, enabling scientists to gain new insights into solar activity.

This marks ESA's first satellite launch from India since the Proba-1 mission in 2001, highlighting growing collaboration between ESA and ISRO. The Proba-3 satellites were transported from Belgium to Chennai and then moved to Sriharikota, where ESA and ISRO teams are now preparing them for the launch.