The launch of the European Space Agency’s two satellites as part of the Proba – 3 mission onboard PSLV C 59 is scheduled at 16 08 hours today from the first Launch Pad (FLP) of Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC-SHAR), Sriharikota. The 25-hour Countdown that began yesterday is progressing steadily. The launch of the Proba 3, the world’s first precision formation flying mission will study the solar corona, the Sun’s outermost layer.
Proba 3 is carrying two satellites- the 200 kg Occulter Space Craft and the 340 kg Coronagraph spacecraft. ISRO will be using its XL version of PSLV for the mission.
After deployment, the two satellites will cruise into a highly elliptical orbit, achieving an apogee of approximately 60,530 kilometres and a perigee of around 600 kilometres from Earth. This would allow them to maintain a distance of 150 meters apart while flying together as a single unit.
The European Space Agency said that the Proba 3 will achieve precise formation which will open a new era for science and applications and future missions on a much larger scale. It will be a lab in space to validate strategies, guidance, navigation and control and other algorithms such as relative GPS navigation, previously tried in ground simulators.
ISRO has remarked on the mission as a proud milestone in India’s space journey and a shining example of global partnerships.