Proba-3 Mission: ISRO and ESA Join Forces to Unlock Solar Secrets

The Indian Space Research Organisation's reliable Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) is set to launch the ESA’s Proba-3 mission from Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, on Wednesday, December 4.

The Proba-3 Mission of the European Space Agency (ESA) is being carried out in partnership with NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), the commercial arm of ISRO.

Proba 3 Mission: Important Details

ISRO will use its first launch pad at the ISRO spaceport for the Proba-3 mission. The launch is scheduled to happen at 4:08 p.m. IST after which satellites are expected to enter high Earth orbit and start their mission. 

The mission is expected to provide vital information to ESA scientists as they continue to study space weather and solar phenomena.

The PSLV-XL variant, which weighs 550 kg, will launch the Proba-3 satellites into high Earth orbit. After about 18 minutes of flight, the 44.5-meter-tall rocket should send the 550-kg satellites into the correct orbit.

Key Features of the Mission

The Proba-3 mission's two spacecraft, Coronagraph and Occulter, will fly at close quarters, with a mere 150 meters separating them. The Occulter spacecraft will use Coronagraph to study the Sun's corona, or outer atmosphere, by obstructing the disc. The weight of the Occulter and Coronagraph spacecraft is 240 and 310 kg, respectively.

It is projected that the satellites would circle for 19.7 hours, with an apogee of 60,530 kilometers from Earth and a perigee of 600 kilometers.

Importance of ISRO’s Proba-3 Mission

The Proba-3 mission is a significant achievement in space research, offering new insights into the Sun and space weather. The collaboration between ISRO and ESA shows the growing importance of international teamwork in advancing space exploration and technology.

The Proba-3 mission comes after Isro launched its Proba-1 and Proba-2 earth monitoring satellites in 2001 and 2009, respectively.

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