Mission info
Scheduled for (UTC) | 2024-12-05, 10:34 |
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Scheduled for (local) | 2024-12-05, 16:04 (IST) |
Launch site | First Launch Pad, Satish Dhawan Space Centre, India |
Launch Vehicle | PSLV-XL |
Payloads | PROBA-3 |
Payload mass | 550.0 kg |
Mission success criteria | Successful delivery of payloads to desired orbit |
Webcasts
Stream | Link |
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ISRO | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJXXLLw0PBI |
Space Affairs | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvXH4LkC5Xo |
Spaceflight Now | https://www.youtube.com/@SpaceflightNowVideo/streams |
The Launch Pad | https://www.youtube.com/@TheLaunchPad/streams |
The Space Devs |
Stats
Sourced from NextSpaceflight:
☑️ 2nd SLV mission this year, 61st overall
☑️ 4th ISRO mission this year, 95th overall
Mission details
PROBA-3 will be composed of two independent, three-axis stabilized spacecraft flying 150 meters from one another with the ability to accurately control the attitude and separation of the two craft. It will be maintained for 6 hours, creating ″artificial solar eclipse″ for the satellite below. The spacecraft pair will fly a highly elliptical orbit divided between periods of accurate formation flying around apogee, when payload operations will be possible, and periods of free flight. The length of the formation control period will be a trade-off involving the increasing amount of fuel needed to maintain the orbits in formation when away from apogee.
Great launch - there’s an article from ESA with a video describing the commissioning and operations to come: Eclipse-making double satellite Proba-3 enters orbit