The PSLV-C59/PROBA-3 Mission, the 61st flight of PSLV and the 26th using PSLV-XL configuration, set to carry ESA’s PROBA-3 satellites (~550kg) into a highly elliptical orbit. File.
| Photo Credit: PTI
The PSLV-C59/PROBA-3 mission, initially scheduled for launch at 16.08 IST on December 4, 2024, has been rescheduled to Thursday, December 5, 2024, at 16.12 IST due to an anomaly detected. Exactly at 3.19 p.m. the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced on its official page on X (formerly Twitter): “Due to an anomaly detected in PROBA-3 spacecraft PSLV-C59/PROBA-3 launch rescheduled to tomorrow December 5, 2024 at 16.12 hours.” Key officials from the ISRO communicated the same to media persons gathered at the venue to witness the launch.
Even at 3.08 p.m., the ISRO said the countdown had been progressing smoothly. “Countdown is progressing smoothly as PSLV-C59, an initiative led by NSIL and supported by ISRO’s expertise, prepares to launch ESA’s Proba-3 satellites into a highly elliptical orbit,” it said.
The European Space Agency said: “As part of standard pre-launch preparations, a technical issue was detected in the Proba-3 spacecraft.” Josef Aschbacher, Director General of the European Space Agency, posted an elaborate message on social media saying: “During Proba3’s pre-launch preparations at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in India, an anomaly in the redundant propulsion system of the Coronagraph Spacecraft occurred. This propulsion system is part of the attitude and orbit control subsystem of the satellite and used to maintain orientation and pointing in space.” He further said: “The anomaly is currently under detailed investigation. The use of a software solution by the mission control team at European Space Agency’s ESEC centre at Redu, Belgium is being evaluated to allow a launch on Thursday, December 5.”
The PSLV-C59/PROBA-3 Mission, the 61st flight of PSLV and the 26th using PSLV-XL configuration, is set to carry ESA’s PROBA-3 (Project for Onboard Autonomy) satellites into a highly elliptical orbit from the First Launch Pad (FLP), Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC-SHAR), Sriharikota. The 44.5-metre rocket will carry the 550 kg Proba-3 satellites to their designated orbit in a mission lasting about 18 minutes. Proba-3 is ESA’s — and the world’s — first precision formation flying mission. According to details from the ESA site, flying together, a pair of spacecraft will form an artificial solar eclipse in space, casting a precisely-controlled shadow from one platform to the other to open up sustained views of the Sun’s faint surrounding corona.
Published – December 04, 2024 03:36 pm IST
