 launched the European Space Agency's Proba-3 mission from the spaceport in Andhra Pradesh's Sriharikota){kind=link}
ISRO (Indian Space & Research Organization) launched the European Space Agency’s Proba-3 mission from the spaceport in Andhra Pradesh’s Sriharikota on 5th December 2024, in the evening hours.
On Wednesday, the launch was rescheduled following an anomaly detected in the satellite propulsion system.
Notably, New Space India Ltd, (NSIL), the commercial arm of ISRO has bagged the order from the ESA.
The Proba-3 (Project for Onboard Anatomy) consists of two satellites – Coronagraph (310kgs) and Occulter (240kgs) – in which two spacecraft would fly together as one, maintaining precise formation down to a single millimeter to study the Corona, the Sun’s outer atmosphere.
Proba-3 is a technology demonstration mission funded via the General Support Technology Program. The instruments onboard the satellites would travel closer to the solar rim for up to six hours at a time and each spacecraft would take up approximately a 19-hour orbit around the Earth.
ISRO had commenced revised countdown for Proba-3 mission launch. The countdown for the PSLV-C59/PROBA-3 Mission was commenced and the Lift-off time was scheduled at 16.04 p.m. IST, on 5th December, 2024.
The PSLV-C59/PROBA-3 Mission, the 61st flight of PSLV and the 26th using PSLV-XL configuration, has carried ESA’s PROBA-3 satellites (~550kg) into a highly elliptical orbit.
ISRO on Thursday (December 5, 2024) had commenced a revised 8.5-hour countdown for the launch of the European Space Agency’s Proba-3 Mission.
The Bengaluru-headquartered space agency had originally planned to launch the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Proba-3 at 4.08 p.m. on Wednesday (December 4) from the spaceport. However, minutes before the lift-off, following the request from the European Space Agency, ISRO rescheduled the launch of PSLV-C59/PROBA-3 to December 5, 4.04 p.m.
PSLV-XL Proba-3: Categorized as a medium-lift launch vehicle, the PSLV competes with other vehicles like ULA’s Atlas V, SpaceX’s Falcon 9, Russia’s Soyuz 2, China’s Long March 4.
Alongside its technological advancement, ISRO contributes to science and science education in the country. Various dedicated research centers and autonomous institutions for remote sensing, astronomy and astrophysics, atmospheric sciences and space sciences in general function under the aegis of Department of Space.
Why Sriharikota as the launching Station?
Sriharikota island was chosen in 1969 for a satellite launching station. It is located 80 km (50 miles) north of Chennai. The center became operational on 9 October 1971 when an RH-125 sounding rocket was launched. Sriharikota was selected by ISRO because of its proximity to the equator, it gives extra centripetal force from the rotation of the Earth.
Sriharikota covers an area of about 43,360 acres (175sq.km) with a coastline of 50km. Eucalyptus, casuarina plantation, scrub jungle vegetation (including a few medicinal herbs), groves of coconut and palm and cane breaks around shallow freshwater ponds dominate the landscape of Sriharikota.
With a success rate of over 97% from 60 launches, the PSLV has proven its mettle, experiencing only two failures: the initial developmental flight in 1993 and the IRNSS mission in 2017.
This place is selected for rocket launching in India because Sriharikota is located nearer to the equator. There is an additional velocity present on the equator which will eventually help launch rockets from the east coast of India.
As per inputs from various agencies, PSLV has proven its mettle, experiencing only two failures in 60 launches. In 2021, ESA and ISRO agreed on future cooperation. ESA offered its ground stations for continuous tracking to ISRO.
For decades, Europe’s Ariane rockets were the epitome of reliability and precision in space launch services. India, too, relied heavily on Ariane to send its satellites into orbit. The Ariane Passenger Payload Experiment (APPLE), ISRO’s first indigenous experimental communication satellite, was launched by the third development flight of ESA’s Ariane vehicle from Kourou on June 19, 1981.
However, in time the tables have turned and at present, ESA does not have any active launch vehicle to carry its payloads to orbit.
Proba-3: ESA AT CROSSROADS……
ISRO’s GSATs and INSATs satellites were frequent passengers of ArianeSpace launch vehicles. ISRO’s LVM3 cannot place anything heavier than 4,000 kg in GTO, which necessitated India’s recent GSAT N2 mission (weighing 4,700 kg) to hitch a ride on SpaceX’s Falcon 9, possibly because Ariane 5 has retired and Ariane 6 is still not ready.
ESA’s family of launchers includes Ariane-6 and Vega-C, along with a dedicated launch site developed to support Soyuz launches from their spaceport in French Guiana. Ariane 6 is being developed to succeed the highly reliable Ariane 5, which completed its 27-year mission with 112 successful launches. Ariane 6 has two variants: Ariane 6-2 (10,350 kg in LEO) and Ariane 6-4 (21,650 kg in LEO).
But Ariane 6 and Vega-C are still in development, with just one and two flights, respectively. This means ESA does not have a fully operational launch vehicle of its own and is currently reliant on other providers, such as SpaceX, ULA, ISRO, and Soyuz, to launch its space missions.
Still, the question remains: Why is ESA leaning on ISRO’s PSLV for Proba-3?
This decision is driven by a combination of factors, including India’s active space diplomacy, its evolving space policy emphasizing international partnerships, and ISRO’s proven track record of delivering reliable and cost-effective launch services.
At the recently concluded third Indian Space Conclave, the EU Ambassador to India and Bhutan, Herve Delphin, emphasized the significance of the Indo-European partnership in space, describing India as a “cost-effective, dynamic space power of the first order.”
In 2021, ESA and ISRO agreed on future cooperation and discussed spaceflight collaboration. This agreement stipulated that ESA would support ISRO’s human spaceflight, lunar exploration, and solar research missions.
During Aditya’s journey toward the L1 point, ESA offered its ground stations for continuous tracking and also helped validate ISRO’s newly developed orbital and flight dynamics software. Currently, India’s Gaganyaan astronauts are being trained at ESA training centers.
Educationist/Administrator/Editor/Author/Speaker
Commencing teaching in his early twenties, Prof Aggarwal has diverse experience of great tenure in the top institutions not only as an educationist, administrator, editor, author but also promoting youth and its achievements through the nicest possible content framing. A revolutionary to the core, he is also keen to address the society around him for its betterment and growth on positive notes while imbibing the true team spirit the work force along with.
Comments