Watch eclipse-making Proba-3 launch today
Update: Launch delayed one day to Thursday
Due to a technical issue with the spacecraft, ESA’s eclipse-making precise formation-flying Proba-3 mission is now foreseen for launch on its PSLV-XL rocket from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, India, on Thursday, 5 December, at 11:34 CET (10:34 GMT, 16:04 local time).
During Proba3’s pre-launch preparations at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, 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 maintain orientation and pointing in space.
The anomaly is currently under detailed investigation. The use of a software solution by the mission control team at ESA’s ESEC centre at Redu, Belgium is being evaluated to allow a launch on Thursday 5 December.
