Wed Dec 04 10:55:35 UTC 2024: ## ISRO Postpones PSLV Launch of ESA’s Proba-3 Satellites
**Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh:** The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has postponed the launch of its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C59) carrying the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Proba-3 satellites. The launch, initially scheduled for 4:08 pm today, December 4th, has been rescheduled for 4:12 pm tomorrow, December 5th.
The postponement was announced following the detection of an anomaly in the Proba-3 satellites minutes before the planned liftoff. Earlier reports indicated a smooth countdown and favorable weather conditions at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre on Sriharikota Island. The island, located on the Bay of Bengal, had avoided the recent cyclonic activity that has caused launch delays in the past.
The PSLV-C59, in its 61st mission, is tasked with deploying Proba-3, a pair of mini-satellites designed for precision formation flying to simulate a total solar eclipse. This marks the second ESA mission launched by ISRO, following the successful Proba-1 launch in 2001. Proba-3, weighing a combined 545 kg, consists of a Coronagraph Spacecraft and an Occulter Spacecraft, to be deployed into a 600 km orbit approximately 18 minutes after launch. The mission aims to showcase advanced formation-flying and rendezvous technologies.
The launch is a commercial mission undertaken by New Space India Limited (NSIL), ISRO’s commercial arm. The 44.5-meter-tall PSLV rocket will place the satellites into a highly elliptical orbit. ISRO described Proba-3 as the world’s first precision formation-flying mission of its kind.
First Piper 