ISRO’s PROBA-3 satellite launch rescheduled to December 5, 4:12 PM

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has rescheduled the anticipated launch of the PSLV-C59/PROBA-3 satellite mission to December 5 at 4:12 PM, following the detection of an anomaly on Wednesday.

The launch was originally scheduled for today (Wednesday) at 4:08 PM from the first launch pad of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.

“Due to an anomaly detected in PROBA-3 spacecraft, PSLV-C59/PROBA-3 launch has been rescheduled to tomorrow at 16:12 hours,” ISRO announced in a post on X.

The PSLV-C59 is a joint initiative between ISRO and NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), while the PROBA-3 mission is an “In-Orbit Demonstration (IOD) mission” by the European Space Agency (ESA).

According to ESA, the mission aims to demonstrate formation flying in a large-scale science experiment. The two satellites will form an approximately 150-metre-long solar coronagraph to study the Sun’s faint corona, closer to the solar rim than ever before. In addition to its scientific significance, the mission will serve as a benchmark for precise positioning of the two spacecraft, facilitated by various new technologies.

PROBA-3 will function as an orbital laboratory, showcasing capabilities such as acquisition, rendezvous, proximity operations, and formation flying. It will validate innovative metrology sensors and control algorithms, paving the way for novel mission control techniques. The two satellites will maintain a fixed configuration in space, separated by 150 metres and aligned with the Sun, enabling the Occulter Spacecraft (OSC) to block the Sun’s bright disk while the Coronagraph Spacecraft (CSC) observes the faint solar corona for extended scientific study.

The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) is India’s first launch vehicle to be equipped with liquid stages. It is used to carry satellites and various payloads into space based on ISRO’s requirements. The PSLV’s maiden successful launch was in October 1994.

According to ISRO, PSLV-C59 will involve four stages and will carry a total payload mass of approximately 320 tonnes.