The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has postponed the launch of the PSLV-C59 mission to Thursday following the detection of an "anomaly" in the PROBA-3 spacecraft, the agency announced minutes before the scheduled liftoff on Wednesday.

Originally set for 4:08 PM IST on Wednesday from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, the launch has now been rescheduled for 4:12 PM on Thursday.

"Due to an anomaly detected in the PROBA-3 spacecraft, PSLV-C59/PROBA-3 launch rescheduled to tomorrow at 16:12 hours," ISRO stated in an update shortly before the planned launch.

PROBA-3 (Project for Onboard Anatomy) is a groundbreaking mission consisting of two satellites, Coronagraph (310 kg) and Occulter (240 kg), that will fly in precise formation—maintaining an accuracy of up to a single millimeter. This innovative design aims to study the Sun's outer atmosphere, known as the corona.

Dubbed the world's first mission of its kind, PROBA-3 is a collaborative effort with the European Space Agency (ESA). The ESA highlighted the corona’s scientific importance, noting it is significantly hotter than the Sun’s surface and serves as the origin of space weather phenomena, which have both scientific and practical implications.

The PSLV-C59 mission is expected to provide crucial insights for ISRO as it explores solar science. This follows the successful launch of India’s maiden solar mission, Aditya-L1, in September 2023, which marked a significant milestone in solar exploration.

Further updates on the mission will be provided after Thursday's scheduled launch. (ILKHA)