ISRO Set for Historic Proba-3 Launch Today: A Leap in Solar Research

Sriharikota(The Uttam Hindu): The European Space Agency's Proba-3 mission aboard ISRO's PSLV-C59 rocket is expected to take off on 5 December from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota after the launch was delayed over a technical anomaly. Earlier scheduled for 4 December, the launch was scrapped at the last minute minutes to liftoff because of a propulsion issue on the Coronagraph spacecraft.

ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher confirmed that the anomaly has occurred in the redundant propulsion system of the Coronagraph, which is the primary one required for the attitude and orbit control of the spacecraft. The investigations to determine the cause are going on. In spite of the setback, the mission will now take off on December 5 at 4:04 pm IST.

Proba-3 is a pioneering solar observation mission that consists of two satellites: Coronagraph and Occulter. The mission will fly in very tight formation to study the corona, the outer atmosphere of the Sun. It is to enhance our understanding of space weather. Both satellites are to fly 150 meters apart, so the Occulter can block out the Sun and the Coronagraph can study the corona. This is the first major launch post the success of the ISRO mission, Aditya-L1, in 2023.