Thu Dec 05 11:49:49 UTC 2024: **ISRO Successfully Launches ESA’s Proba-3 Mission into Orbit**
**Sriharikota, India –** The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched the Proba-3 mission for the European Space Agency (ESA) on [Date of Launch] at 4:04 PM IST from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. The launch, initially scheduled for the previous day, was delayed by 43 minutes and 50 seconds due to a last-minute technical issue with one of the satellites.
The PSLV-C59 rocket carried two satellites, Coronagraph and Occulter, designed to study the Sun’s corona. This is a dedicated commercial mission undertaken by NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), ISRO’s commercial arm, in collaboration with ESA. The mission, costing approximately ₹1680 crore, is expected to last two years.
The satellites will occupy a highly elliptical orbit ranging from 600 kilometers to 60,530 kilometers from Earth. The unique configuration of the Coronagraph and Occulter will create an artificial solar eclipse, enabling unprecedented observations of the Sun’s outer atmosphere. This is ESA’s first mission since 2001 to be launched by ISRO. The successful launch highlights ISRO’s growing role in the global commercial space sector.
First Piper 