India’s space agency, ISRO, has successfully launched the European Space Agency’s (ESA) PROBA-3 satellite on board its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). This marks the third satellite in a series of launches under the ESA’s Project for Onboard Anatomy (PROBA), aiming to study the Sun’s corona with unprecedented precision.
The PROBA-3 satellite consists of two independent spacecraft: the Coronagraph Spacecraft (CSC) and the Occulter Spacecraft (OSC). The CSC weighs 310 kg, while the OSC weighs 240 kg. Both will orbit the Earth at an altitude of 60,500 km, with the apogee being 60,500 km.
The mission’s primary objective is to study the Sun’s corona at a distance of 1.1 solar radii in the visible spectrum. This would make PROBA-3 the most precise satellite to map and image the Sun’s corona. The spacecraft will maintain formation with an accuracy of a few millimeters and arc seconds for six hours at a time, demonstrating the concept of “formation flying.”
During the preparatory phase, safety tests will be conducted, including a collision manoeuvre test. Once complete, the satellites will be placed into a safe relative tandem orbit. The PROBA-3 mission will also validate strategies for guidance, navigation, and control, as well as algorithms for relative GPS navigation.
This mission includes a rendezvous experiment to test sensors and algorithms for satellites in elliptical orbits, which could be used for future Mars Sample return missions and de-orbiting satellites from low-Earth orbit.
Source: https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/isro-puts-proba-3-in-orbit-a-10-point-guide-about-the-european-satellite-7181437