The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched the Proba-3 spacecraft on Thursday from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. The rocket, carrying a 550 kg payload, lifted off at 4:04 pm on December 5, 2024 after a brief delay due to a propulsion system anomaly on December 4.
Developed in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA), Proba-3 represents a groundbreaking mission in space exploration. The spacecraft is uniquely designed to conduct precision formation flying, with two satellites traveling in tandem just 150 metres apart.
The mission’s primary objective is to observe the Sun’s corona – its outer atmosphere – which plays a crucial role in determining space weather. The innovative approach involves one satellite (the Occulter) creating an eclipse-like phenomenon by blocking the sun’s center, allowing the Coronagraph satellite to capture detailed observations of the sun’s outer rim.
ISRO Chairman Shri S. Somnath highlighted the mission’s success, stating that the PSLV-C59 has been placed in a highly elliptical orbit ranging from approximately 600 km at its closest point to earth (perigee) to 60,000 km at its farthest point (apogee).
The name Proba, which means “let’s try” in Latin and stands for “Project for Onboard Anatomy,” aptly captures the experimental nature of this collaborative effort between ISRO and ESA. The mission not only contributes to India’s advancing space capabilities but also represents a significant step forward in heliophysics research.
