Why in the News?
- India is set to launch the European Space Agency’s (ESA) PROBA-3 Mission in December from the Sriharikota spaceport.
- The mission will use ISRO’s PSLV rocket to place two satellites in orbit, designed to study the Sun’s corona, or outer atmosphere.
About Proba-3 Mission:
| Details | |
| Mission Name | PROBA-3 (Project for On-Board Autonomy-3) |
| Objective | Study the Sun’s corona by creating an artificial eclipse with precision formation flying of two satellites |
| Launch Date and Location | December 4, 2024, from Sriharikota spaceport, India, via ISRO’s PSLV-XL rocket |
| Orbit | Highly elliptical orbit, ranging from 600 km to 60,000 km, with a 19.7-hour orbital period |
| Satellites | Two satellites:
|
| Alignment Precision | Millimeter-level alignment to block the Sun’s light and allow continuous corona observation |
| Key Scientific Goals | Observe solar phenomena, such as solar flares and coronal mass ejections, to improve space weather forecasting |
| Unique Features | First ESA mission dedicated to precision formation flying, using smaller, agile satellites for cost-effective observation |
| International Collaboration | Jointly developed by ESA and ISRO, with contributions from France, Belgium, and the Netherlands |
| Communication Support | Managed via antenna in Santa Maria (Azores) and ground station in Redu (Belgium) |
| Significance | Advances solar research and international collaboration; enhances space weather insights, supporting infrastructure on Earth |
PYQ:[2016] What is ‘Greased Lightning-10 (GL-10)’, recently in the news? (a) Electric plane tested by NASA (b) Solar-powered two-seater aircraft designed by Japan (c) Space observatory launched by China (d) Reusable rocket designed by ISRO |
