LAUNCH OF PROBA-3, Dec 5, 2024, Sriharikota, India, 5:34 am ET

Update, December 4, 10:55 pm ET:  As of now, the launch is on for tomorrow, December 5, at 5:34 am EST (16:04 India Standard Time, which is 10 hours 30 minutes ahead of EST).

???? PSLV-C59/PROBA-3 Mission Update:

Countdown Commenced!

???? Liftoff Time: 16:04 IST, 5th Dec 2024

Stay tuned as PSLV-C59 prepares to deploy ESA’s Proba-3 satellites into orbit!

Join @NSIL_India, @isro, and @esa as history unfolds! ????

— ISRO (@isro) December 5, 2024

Update, December 4:  The launch has been postponed because of a problem that was detected with spacecraft’s propulsion system.  Launch has been TENATIVELY rescheduled for tomorrow, December 5, at 11:34 CET (5:34 am EST) pending confirmation that a software fix will work.

During Proba3’s pre-launch preparations at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in India, an anomaly in the redundant propulsion system of the Coronagraph Spacecraft occurred. This propulsion system is part of the attitude and orbit control subsystem of the satellite and used to… https://t.co/x5JPgMZ5GB

— Josef Aschbacher (@AschbacherJosef) December 4, 2024

Original Entry: ESA’s Proba-3 solar and space physics probe will launch on India’s PSLV rocket from Sriharikota, India on December 4, 2024 at 11:38 Central European Time (5:38 am Eastern Standard Time).  ESA will webcast the launch on ESA Web TV beginning at 11:00 CET (5:00 am EST).

Proba-3 is a pair of precision flying spacecraft that will create artificial solar eclipses to study the Sun’s corona. One will cast a shadow on the other within 1 millimeter accuracy, allowing eclipses for up to six hours at a time.