ISRO successfully launches Proba-3 mission for European Space Agency

Sriharikota, (Andhra Pradesh): In yet another milestone for Indian space exploration, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Thursday successfully launched the Proba-3 mission for the European Space Agency (ESA) aboard a PSLV-C59 rocket. The mission, a solar experiment designed to study the Sun’s outer atmosphere, highlights growing international collaboration in space research.

At precisely 4:04 pm, the 44.5-meter-tall Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre. After an 18-minute flight, the rocket placed the Proba-3 mission’s twin satellites into a high elliptical orbit, with a perigee (closest point to Earth) of 600 km and an apogee (farthest point) of 60,000 km.

Speaking at the Mission Control Centre post-launch, ISRO Chairman S Somanath declared, “The satellites have been placed in the right orbit, a highly elliptical one with an inclination of 59 degrees. This is the 61st mission of the PSLV, and its success is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the entire team. Congratulations to the PSLV project team and the Proba-3 team.”

Somanath elaborated on the mission’s significance, stating, “The Proba-3 mission will study the Sun’s corona in detail, advancing solar science and space weather research. It also demonstrates advanced formation-flying techniques with two spacecraft flying together within millimetre precision.”

The Proba-3 mission (Project for Onboard Autonomy) features two satellites, the Occulter (240 kg) and the Coronagraph (310 kg), which will operate as a single satellite system. Positioned 150 meters apart, the Occulter will block the Sun’s bright disk, allowing the Coronagraph to capture detailed observations of the Sun’s faint corona. This setup enables scientists to simulate a solar eclipse, creating “eclipses on demand,” as ESA describes it.

D Radhakrishnan, Chairman and Managing Director of NewSpace India Ltd (NSIL), ISRO’s commercial arm, lauded the achievement, saying, “This is the first time PSLV has delivered a payload to such an elliptical orbit. The Proba-3 mission is not only a technological marvel but also a significant step in India’s collaboration with the European Space Agency.”

The Proba-3 mission is a technology demonstration funded through ESA’s General Support Technology Programme. Over the coming months, the twin spacecraft will undergo extensive calibration to achieve their precise formation. They will then focus on solar coronagraphy, studying the corona’s temperature and dynamics, where space weather phenomena originate. ESA noted that the corona, surprisingly hotter than the Sun’s surface, remains a mystery central to understanding solar activity.

In addition to pushing scientific boundaries, the mission builds on ISRO’s growing expertise in solar science. Referring to India’s Aditya-L1 mission, launched in September 2023 to study the Sun’s photosphere and chromosphere, Somanath remarked, “With Proba-3 and Aditya-L1, ISRO is steadily contributing to global solar research. The outcomes will undoubtedly yield invaluable insights in the coming years.”

The PSLV-C59-Proba-3 mission exemplifies international cooperation in space science. ISRO’s official statement highlighted this sentiment: “This success reflects ISRO’s dedication to enabling global space innovation. Together with ESA and NSIL, we are forging new paths in scientific discovery.”

The Proba-3 mission is expected to deliver six-hour close-range observations of the solar rim during each 19-hour orbit, providing a unique opportunity to study the Sun’s outermost layers.