India is set to create an ‘artificial’ solar eclipse with the launch of the PSLV-C59/Proba-3 mission on December 4 at 4:06 pm from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota. This mission, developed by the European Space Agency (ESA) and ISRO, will help simulate an eclipse in space, providing new opportunities for solar research.

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• The PSLV-C59/Proba-3 mission will create an artificial solar eclipse in space.
• It will launch on December 4, 2024, at 4:06 pm from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Andhra Pradesh.
• The mission will involve two spacecraft, the Coronagraph Spacecraft (CSC) and the Occulter Spacecraft (OSC).
• These spacecraft will fly in formation to block sunlight and simulate an eclipse.
• The mission will offer a 100-fold increase in observation time of the Sun’s corona compared to natural eclipses.
• It is a collaboration between the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
• The PSLV-C59 rocket will carry two ESA satellites, each weighing around 550kg.
• This mission is part of ESA’s “In-Orbit Demonstration” initiative to showcase formation-flying in space.
• PSLV-C59 is India’s 61st PSLV flight and the 26th using the PSLV-XL configuration.
• The mission will further strengthen India’s space capabilities and global space collaboration.