PSLV XL Proba-3 Launch: ISRO Successfully Launches ESA’s Mission To Study Sun’s Corona

The Indian Space Research Organization successfully launched the European Space Agency's Proba-3 mission aboard its trusted PSLV-C59 rocket on Thursday

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The launch took place at 4:04 PM IST from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Srihari Kota after a smooth countdown

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On Wednesday, space agency had rescheduled it's launched to today following an anomaly detected in the satellite propulsion system

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The Proba-3 mission consists of two satellites, Coronagraph (310 kg) and Occulter (240 kg), designed to study the Sun’s corona, the outermost layer of its atmosphere

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S. Somanath, the chairman of ISRO, acknowledged that the mission has been accomplished successfully

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The satellites will operate as one system, flying in precise formation 150 meters apart to enable advanced solar observation

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PSLV-C59, undertaking its 61st flight, will place the satellites into a highly elliptical orbit 18 minutes after lift-off

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Once operational, the Occulter satellite will block the Sun’s disk, allowing the Coronagraph to study the surrounding atmosphere, where space weather originates

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The mission aims to explore the corona, which is significantly hotter than the Sun’s surface and a critical area for understanding solar activity

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