ISRO successfully launches Proba-3 mission on PSLV

The mission undertaken by the European Space Agency consists of two satellites and will study the Sun's outer atmosphere

ISRO on Thursday successfully launched the Proba-3 mission onboard a PSLV-C59 rocket, a solar experiment undertaken by the European Space Agency.

Around 18 minutes after lift-off, the two satellites were placed into the 'right orbit', said ISRO Chairman S Somanath.

The Proba-3 (Project for Onboard Autonomy) mission consists of twin satellites in which two spacecraft (placed inside the satellites) would fly together as one, maintaining a precise formation down to a single millimetre to study the Sun's outer atmosphere.

Addressing the scientists at the Mission Control Centre after the launch, Somanath said, "The satellites have been placed in the right orbit which is a very high elliptical orbit of almost 600 km perigee, that is the closest point to the Earth and 60,000 km at its apogee, that is the farthest point with an inclination of 59 degree."