ISRO sends European Space Agency’s Proba-3 mission to space

Sriharikota: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Thursday successfully sent the European Space Agency (ESA) Proba-3 Sun observation mission atop the PSLV-C59 launch vehicle into space. The mission lifted off from the First Launch Pad (FLP) at Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC-SHAR), Sriharikota.

The Proba-3 satellites were flown to the Chennai airport from Liege in Belgium, following which they were trucked to the spaceport at Sriharikota. The satellites, which consist of two spacecraft—the Coronagraph Spacecraft (CSC) and the Occulter Spacecraft (OSC)—were launched together in a stacked configuration aboard the PSLV-XL rocket, the ISRO noted. It will be the 61st flight of PSLV and the 26th using the PSLV-XL configuration. "PSLV-C59 has successfully soared into the skies, marking the commencement of a global mission led by NSIL, with ISRO’s technical expertise, to deploy ESA’s groundbreaking PROBA-3 satellites," the Indian space agency posted on X.

"A proud moment celebrating the synergy of international collaboration and India’s space achievements," it added. ESA’s Proba-3 is the first mission to launch from India since the Proba-1 mission in 2001, underscoring deepening space collaboration between the two.

The launch also reflects India’s growing contributions to global space exploration.

PSLV-C59 vehicle will carry the Proba-3 spacecraft into a highly elliptical orbit as a dedicated commercial mission of NewSpace India Ltd (NSIL). The Proba-3 mission 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.

"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. The launch was earlier postponed due to an undisclosed anomaly that occurred after the "countdown progressed smoothly".

According to the Indian space agency, 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. PSLV-C59 stands as a testament to ISRO's engineering prowess, with this mission being the 61st flight demonstrating the popularity of the PSLV-XL variant.