On 4 December, the European Space Agency (ESA) will launch the Proba-3 twin satellite system. These spacecraft , which will make a mark on flight formation technology, will fly with millimetre precision to enable unprecedented observations of the solar atmosphere, known as the corona.
Watch how the Proba-3 mission will create artificial solar eclipses
The solar corona is usually only visible for a few minutes during total eclipses. But Proba-3 will change this by creating artificial solar eclipses lasting up to six hours. The Coronagraph and Occulter spacecraft will block out the solar disk so that instruments can study this phenomenon, which is vital for understanding solar wind and space weather. The video below explains in detail what the process will look like.
The two spacecraft will fly together as one. Source: ESA
On 13 November 2024, ESA confirmed that the Coronagraph spacecraft successfully passed the “fit check” with the adapter on ISRO’s PSLV-XL launcher at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre. This essential phase ensured that the spacecraft was perfectly docked with the launcher, marking a crucial step before commencing fueling .
With these preparations complete, the Occulter spacecraft will be installed atop Coronagraph, ready to create artificial solar eclipses in space. The combination will allow for extended observations of the solar corona, which is usually only visible during brief total eclipses.
Furthermore, the project highlights international collaboration, as the launch will be from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in India, using ISRO’s PSLV-XL launcher. It is important to mention that this launch follows a rigorous preparation process, where the teams confirmed the optimal state of the mission after the adjustment tests and ground trials.
According to NASA , the distance from Earth to the Sun is 93 million miles (149 million kilometers). With the Proba-3 mission, ESA hopes to open an unparalleled observational window to study solar phenomena that impact Earth and space technology. The world will be watching for the first extended glimpse of the solar corona, a scientific milestone with far-reaching implications.
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Source and photos: ESA
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