The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is all set to launch the PSLV-C59/PROBA-3 mission on Thursday at 4:04 p.m. The spacecraft will be carried by the PSLV-C59 vehicle into a highly elliptical orbit as part of a dedicated commercial mission of NewSpace India Limited (NSIL).
The mission, initially scheduled for Wednesday, was postponed due to an anomaly detected in the PROBA-3 spacecraft. The city experienced light drizzles in the morning.
The PSLV-C59 is a collaborative initiative between ISRO and NewSpace India Limited (NSIL). PROBA-3 is a technology demonstration mission by the European Space Agency (ESA) and is the world’s first precision formation-flying mission. The mission involves a pair of satellites flying together in a fixed configuration, behaving as if they were a single, large rigid structure in space. This will enable the demonstration of innovative formation-flying and rendezvous technologies.
According to ESA, the mission will showcase formation flying in the context of a large-scale science experiment. The two satellites will work together to form an approximately 150-meter-long solar coronagraph, designed to study the Sun’s faint corona closer to the solar rim than ever before.
Beyond its scientific goals, the mission will serve as a benchmark for measuring the precise positioning of two spacecraft, enabled by advanced new technologies. PROBA-3 will act as an orbital laboratory, demonstrating acquisition, rendezvous, proximity operations, and formation flying while validating innovative metrology sensors and control algorithms.
The two satellites will maintain a fixed configuration in space, separated by 150 meters and aligned with the Sun. In this alignment, the Occulter Spacecraft (OSC) will block the bright solar disk, allowing the Coronagraph Spacecraft (CSC) to observe the Sun’s faint corona for extended scientific study.
Taking to social media platform X, ISRO wrote:
“PSLV-C59/PROBA-3 Mission Update: Countdown Commenced! Liftoff Time: 16:04 IST, 5th Dec 2024. Stay tuned as PSLV-C59 prepares to deploy ESA’s Proba-3 satellites into orbit.”
Earlier on Wednesday, ISRO had announced the postponement of the launch via X:
“PSLV-C59/PROBA-3 Mission Update: The launch has been rescheduled. Set your clocks as we prepare to make history.
Countdown updates and mission milestones will keep you connected as we approach T-minus zero. Stay tuned for this momentous event!
The PSLV-C59 will have four stages during the launch, as per ISRO. The total mass being lifted by the launch vehicle is approximately 320 tonnes.
The PROBA-3 mission is categorized as an “In-Orbit Demonstration (IOD) mission” by the European Space Agency (ESA).