North News
New Delhi, December 5
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Proba-3 mission aboard its PSLV-C59 rocket on Thursday, marking a significant achievement in international space collaboration. Once operational, the Occulter satellite will shield the Sun’s disk, enabling the Coronagraph to examine the surrounding solar atmosphere, the origin of space weather.
The PSLV-C59/Proba-3 mission met its objectives, deploying ESA’s satellites into their designated orbit with precision, ISRO confirmed in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. The commercial mission, facilitated by NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), carried a 550 kg payload into a highly elliptical orbit.
Proba-3, an In-Orbit Demonstration (IOD) mission by ESA, is designed to test formation flying between two spacecraft—the Coronagraph Spacecraft (CSC) and the Occulter Spacecraft (OSC). This experiment aims to advance capabilities in precise spacecraft coordination for scientific applications.
The success of the PSLV-C59 launch underscores ISRO’s growing prominence in international space partnerships and its reputation for reliable commercial satellite launches. The mission highlights India’s role as a trusted player in the global space industry.
