Proba-3 mission would significantly advance understanding of Sun's Corona: Ex-ISRO scientist

ISRO launches ESA's Proba-3 mission to study Sun's corona and solar wind, advancing space weather forecasting.

ISRO's successful launch of European Space Agency's (ESA) Proba-3 satellites onboard PSLV-C59 rocket is a 'groundbreaking mission' and would significantly advance the understanding of Sun's corona and solar wind, a former ISRO scientist said.

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According to P.V. Venkitakrishnan, former director of the Capacity Building Programme Office, ISRO headquarters, the 'innovative design and advanced technologies' used in the mission would pave the way for future space weather forecasting and solar physics research.

"This mission is a collaborative effort between the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Indian Space Research Organisation. Proba-3 is a pioneering mission designed to explore the Sun's corona, the outer atmosphere of the Sun", he told PTI.

It aims to study the Corona, which is hotter than the Sun's surface, and explore the solar wind which is a stream of charged particles emanating from the Sun, Mr. Venkitakrishnan said.

"The data from Proba-3 satellites would help scientists better understand and predict space weather events, which can impact the Earth's magnetic field and satellite operations."

He noted that the two satellites — Coronagraph and Occulter — would form a 'precise formation 150 meters apart after several orbital manoeuvres in the coming days.