ISRO’s PSLV-XL rocket to launch ESA’s Proba 3 mission on Wednesday

New Delhi, Dec 4: The Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) PSLV-XL rocket is all set to launch the European Space Agency (ESA) Proba-3 Sun observation mission on Wednesday. The PSLV-C59/Proba-3 mission will take flight on Wednesday at 4:08 pm from the First Launch Pad (FLP) at Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC-SHAR), Sriharikota.

“Liftoff Day is Here!,” ISRO shared in a post on social media platform X. “PSLV-C59, showcasing the proven expertise of ISRO, is ready to deliver ESA’s Proba-3 satellites into orbit,” ISRO said. Proba-3 aims to study the Sun’s faint corona closer to the solar rim. It is an in-orbit demonstration (IOD) mission of the ESA, which aims to demonstrate precise formation flying.

It consists of 2 spacecraft the Coronagraph Spacecraft (CSC) and the Occulter Spacecraft (OSC) and will be launched together in a stacked configuration aboard the PSLV-XL rocket, the ISRO noted. It is the 61st flight of PSLV and the 26th using PSLV-XL configuration. The spacecraft will create a 144-metre-long instrument known as a solar coronagraph, enabling scientists to study the Sun's corona which is difficult to observe due to the brightness of the solar disk.

Being carried into a highly elliptical orbit will allow the pair to reach 60,000 km from Earth and descend as close as 600 km during each orbit. The high-altitude orbit will help the satellites perform formation flying for about six hours at peak altitude where Earth’s gravitational influence is reduced lowering propellant consumption and allowing for optimal positioning control.

ESA’s Proba-3 will be the first mission to launch from India since the Proba-1 mission in 2001, underscoring deepening space collaboration. The Proba-3 satellites were flown to the Chennai airport from Liege in Belgium, following which they were trucked to the spaceport at Sriharikota. PSLV-C59 vehicle will carry the Proba-3 spacecraft into a highly elliptical orbit as a dedicated commercial mission of NewSpace India Limited (NSIL). The launch also reflects India’s growing contributions to global space exploration.

“This mission, powered by NSIL with ISRO’s engineering excellence, reflects the strength of international collaboration. A proud milestone in India’s space journey and a shining example of global partnerships,” ISRO said.