Bengaluru: ISRO ’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) was set to launch the European Space Agency's (ESA) Proba-3 mission from the Sriharikota spaceport in Andhra Pradesh on December 4, the Indian Space Research Organisation announced on Sunday.

Among the rocket's various configurations, the PSLV-XL stands out due to its enhanced capabilities, particularly for missions like the upcoming launch of the Proba-3 satellite.

The satellites will be launched onboard PSLV-XL from ISRO's Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh on 4 December. The Proba (PRoject for OnBoard Autonomy) missions are a series of in-orbit demonstration (IOD) missions from the European Space Agency, for demonstrating and validating new technologies and concepts in orbit.

Proba-3 consists of two satellites: the Occulter Satellite (OSC) and the Coronagraph Satellite (CSC). The OSC features a 1.4-meter occulting disc designed to block sunlight, creating a shadow that is just eight centimeters wide at a distance of 150 meters.

The Proba-3 satellite will be launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) aboard the Polar Satellite Launch vehicle (PSLV) on December 4.

ISRO ’s trusted workhorse Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) will blast off from Sriharikota spaceport in Andhra Pradesh on December 4 carrying ESA’s Proba-3 mission, the Indian space agency said on Sunday. The European Space Agency’s (ESA) Proba-3 Mission is happening in collaboration with ISRO’s commercial arm NewSpace India Limited (NSIL).

The rocket is scheduled to take off from Sriharikota, as part of the PSLV C-59 mission that is a commercial collaboration between European Space Agency and ISRO via NewSpace India Ltd

The European Space Agency admitted that ISRO's PSLV is a more cost-effective alternative to its own heavy-lift Ariane-6 and medium-lift Vega-C rockets. The three instruments onboard Proba-3 will help unravel the scientific mystery of why the solar corona is significantly hotter than the sun itself.